Closing Walls and Ticking Clocks
by midgetnumber9
Summary: "Afterlife. An abstract concept, you could say. I've always wondered if we kept living on and switching between worlds... I guess I know the answer now". Pretty far away from canon GoT, starts in the very beginning of the show. I wanted to make something different so I made a fun Latina time traveller character, why not? Robb/OC/light Jaime moments.
1. Prologue

**Here we go Again, Prologue 3.0 because I'm that bitch.**

 **Thank you guys so much for the support. I don't know if the people who subscribed (ik it's not youtube but it sounds better than "favorited and followed the story or my little lame ass" so I'll go with it) get updates when I update a chapter but I'm still going to do it and hopefully you do.**

 **For any new people here, Hi! Thank you for clicking on my story, I hope you guys like it and if you don't, don't leave hate, I'm a sensitive hoe and I'll cry and my self-esteem will probably flatline. Just peacefully click away please.**

 **I own nothing but my own ideas and my time apparently. Enjoy :).**

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Marina walked up to the station, her white sneakers tapping lightly against the cheap flooring as she bounced happily on her heels, her hips swinging slightly from side to side slightly to the rhythm of the music. The elevator chimed and its doors opened right as she reached it, the sound Nicky Jam and J. Balvin's "X" filling the ears of the quiet people surrounding her despite her use of earphones - broken ones, but as long as she could still listen to music, she didn't care. At the second chime, once they had arrived in the homicide floor, she paused the music and stuffed the phone into her bag, the older people greeting her as one would to old friends.

"Morenita! What are you doing here?" Her father asked as he saw her get into the floor, his co-workers looking up at the station's adoptive daughter, before going back to their tasks after giving her a greeting nod, her presence already customary. After a friendly greeting and a smile from the Lieutenant, she continued on her way, walking to her father and giving him a warm hug, her backpack hanging from one shoulder.

"I came to see you, papi" She clarified, smiling widely up at him. He opened his mouth in understanding as if to form a silent 'ah', his eyebrows raising with a small side smile that said 'of course you did', making her laugh before kissing him on the cheek and breathing out an "Ok you got me, Evans is helping me with forensics again", laughing lightly and looking up at her father with a sheepish smile, hearing his loud laugh before he walked to the side to grant her passage, mumbling a "be careful, nena" as she walked off with a smile, waving her hand at him as if answering with an "I will".

With all the physical training imposed by her father for her to know how to protect herself, when not working - rather watching others work, since she was not officially part of the station - with ballistics she was immersed in forensics, having shaped her high school career towards medicine to hopefully one day be like her best friend.

"Hey fucker" She greeted the scientist, leaning against the doorframe as he looked up from his microscope, smiling up at her.

"You know, you should really stop spending so much time with the other cops, you're starting to take after their rich language" He answered, making her laugh and shake her head.

"Never. It's too much fun, I just can't seem to stay away from you guys. Some would say you're all inspiring heroes, but honestly it's the free doughnuts".

"Only free because you steal them" he laughed, watching her take one and smile with her mouth full, earning a disgusted groan from her friend.

As it were, their friendship - although unexpected - proved to be strong. She would often help him with fresh perspectives on the cases - being intuitive and far too smart for her age, as well as quite the fan of police dramas, while he helped her with scientific knowledge and tips about the workforce as he would an intern. The girl was one of the few people he considered close, even more so than her own father, already having become part of his small family ever since she was a little girl.

Although seemingly stuck at five foot one, the girl was anything but little in personality. Long were the days of the girl who wanted to be a ballerina and used to watch High School Musical and Disney movies almost as if religiously. Although she still caved into it eventually, her melodic singing voice blasting out to her favorite hits, she was working on her shooting and knife throwing, now a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu while just a week away from being seventeen; Marina Amelia Batista could say her life was perfect, in her own definition of it.

The Puerto Rican and Cuban beauty had taken to a mixture of her father and mother, with golden, naturally tanned skin and black hair which reached her mid-back in loose waves, matching her warm brown eyes. Her body had taken to her mother's slender yet curvy form, while matching with her father's short stature. More than her appearance, the kind, feisty girl had always been closest to her father as well; his little girl, and after their divorce, she chose to live with him.

Living with her father meant that she often had to wait for him to get out of the station, and over the years she had learnt the right buses and so on so that she could go there at the end of her lessons. At twelve years old, she was already walking alone through the big city of Miami despite its dangers - which had led her father to get her out of ballet and onto self defense lessons as a safety net. One thing led to another and before he knew, she was practicing her shooting at the station, sinking heavy bullets into the painted targets and getting closer every day. Her weapon of choice - a hunting knife that she carried, since it was legal - was what she had learnt in the case of emergencies, her ability to shoot the blade from a distance only starting to get good enough due to her former lack of strength.

Just like countless others nights, that day they returned home together, though they had not expected a dark presence to appear out of seemingly nowhere. "Give me your wallet and phone, now"

Her father had taught her not to fight back in fear of her life, and so she had not, but he had not heard his own advice, doing the stupidest thing he could have. "Miami PD! Lower your gun and put your hands in-" Her father didn't get to finish before she heard a gunshot and he fell to the ground, Marina screaming in horror.

Her instincts acted before her emotions could pulling out her father's glock from his belt and aiming for the head of the aggressor and pulling out his mask swiftly. The sight of his face was short-lived, and before any thought could go through her head, a sharp bang of a bullet interrupted and marked her forehead with the familiar hole.

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 **If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: Reviews and follows are appreciated and loved just like all of you in life, ok? Ok. ❤**

 **Bels**


	2. New Arrival

**I didn't need to go and edit every chapter again, I just did it because I'm a little extra and REALLY love her character and this story as a whole and wanted to get deeper into her character because there are things I feel like I glazed over a lot. I wanted to make her very "average" looking (of course everyone has a different definition but I can rarely find characters in fics, specially in GoT ones that look like me or any of the people I grew up with and I wanted to do a character I identified with so the story would be more authentic. She's not me, lol I wish, but she has parts of me here and there and I love her) but still very beautiful because your girl (me) could never, but anyways, here it is. Thank you guys for the support! I love writing this story so so so much.**

 **I own absolutely nothing but my OCs and ideas. You know, the stuff that's not on the show/books.**

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Mari

She felt cold when she woke up, as if she had not been exposed to the heat she was accustomed to and the lack of the Miami sun had sunk to her bones. The second thing that came to her mind was that she was not shivering, despite the cold. It was almost as if she was the source of it, and not the environment she found herself in. To contrast against the brief, chilling numbness, a wave of warmth came crashing upon her and with it, the pain of her head feeling as if it had been smashed open with a sledgehammer. Everything from her temples down was paralyzed, and the immense struggle with herself to do a simple action such as to open her eyes was making her go into a state of despair. The sound of voices came soon. Clear, seeming to be too loud but at the same time, muffled by a ringing in her ears that would've made her scream, if only she could.

"I don't care who she is or what she might know, Illyrio. I am your king and you will not have her here for a second more. She's a pretty bitch. If I sell her to a whorehouse, I'll have enough gold to buy two ships for my future Dothraki army, all you need is to give her to the lords of Westeros and let them do their bidding with her. Or even the free cities if you don't feel like wasting your slaves on taking her across the narrow sea" The first voice seemed disdainful and poisonous as a snake, with a high sense of authority that was not matched with the respect, patience or discipline required to rule. The following however was much lighter, calmer, almost soothing, as the ringing seemed to decrease.

"Yes, your Grace, as you wish. Although we should have her examined first. If there is any damage, they might not want to buy her"

"Is there ever damage with them? I've heard that most of her kind simply come with blood, no wound. I wouldn't suspect her to be any different" The snake man countered, his tone seeming impatient.

"I suppose… She looks Myrish, like a highborn. Different from the others".

"Highborn? She looks like a savage, look at the shade of her skin. She sure looks dead to me, like all the others" He snapped, the kick to her head being enough on its own to send her back into an unconscious state that would last a few days.

…

Oberyn

"Oh my… fuck" was the first thing he heard when she woke up, her voice raspy and barely there. The girl had been sailed from Pentos to Dorne, and had been asleep for a day ever since her arrival. The maester had attempted to stay with her, but Oberyn had shrugged him off and decided to care for her himself, using the knowledge he had acquired from the citadel.

After receiving word from his friends in Pentos that Illyrio had acquired one of them, Oberyn was quick to purchase her; everyone thinking her dead, if it wasn't for the warmth of her body and the faintest of breaths. Even if dressed in pentoshi clothing and jewelry once the Pentoshi merchant had had her bathed and taken care of, her nature could not be disguised, and he knew that by buying her he would actually be saving her from much worse a fate. This way, she could blend in Dorne - as her coloring did favor the Rhoynish blood that the Martells had flowing in their veins - and he could teach her how to behave in the continent without sticking out enough to be seen as a threat and getting herself killed or stolen away for leverage.

He was surprised to see the young girl hold her ground with foul language instead of a scream like most usually would do in her situation. He had heard the stories of the "American" man who had come to appear to the Tyrells, and how incredibly bright he had seemed to be regarding war strategies and the future itself, what would happen to them all - although he kept his lips tightly sealed on the subject.

There was another, much older one, as a watcher on the wall, who had not taken his vows yet occasionally acted as a Grand Maester along with maester Aemon, baring even more knowledge than the old Targaryen. Through the last few years, few others had appeared in Westeros and Essos, with blood on their bodies but no open wounds or scars, and great stories about the people of the known world. Most were old - or at least much older than her - with characteristics ranging immensely in coloring, features and motivations, but none of them had ended in Dorne - the smallfolk knew to hand them into the authorities if they did for a large price, and now one rested on his bed. One of the only two female strangers that had appeared throughout the course of the last years.

"Well I certainly did not expect that" he said, the girl's eyes popping open as she sat up abruptly, clutching her head in pain and gritting her teeth to hold back a groan. The man was giving her an amused smirk when her eyes looked upwards, the warm brown with gold tints in the sunlight matching her looks perfectly. "Here" he said as he handed her a chalice with water, her eyes suspicious before he rolled his own and drank a sip before handing it to her. "It's water, I won't poison you" he said, and she reached for it hesitantly before drinking it down, closing her eyes as she drank quickly and handing him back the cup, which he filled two more times before she spoke up again

"Where am I? Who are you?" She asked, making him raise his arms up in surrender and laugh at the suspicious manner that the question left her plump lips, her voice now a softer timbre, although still holding a smoky edge to it naturally. No matter the action, she still stood her ground admirably as he simply smiled cutely at her, her eyes seeming to narrow even further at that. "Don't antagonize me".

"I understand you are confused and in pain. I am Prince Oberyn of the House Martell, and right now you are at my keep, where you have been taken care of for the past days by me. I would show more gratitude to the man who saved you from being bought like a slave by some high lord with a fat belly and a small prick" He said calmly.

"Yes, I was bought like a slave by you instead" She added sarcastically, now seemingly better as her hand let go of her head to run a hand through her hair. Her comment made him speechless for a while as he opened his mouth to say something before closing it back up, taking time to think before continuing.

"You are not a slave. You're our guest. My guest"

"I remember snake man's voice… Viserys. He sounded much worse in person than in my head… no it's impossible" she muttered to herself, making the man chuckle and nod. "I'm sorry for being rude to you".

"Don't be. You have good survival instincts and you are smart, I can tell that about you. Just be careful who you play with, some men would hang you for your words" He said, the girl nodding while still seeming conflicted.

"I'm sorry, but I… it's hard to believe you. The Martell's are fictional characters, and it'd be pretty easy to fake all this if you have enough money and a movie set". She said, looking around the room decorated with Martell colors. At that he nodded curiously, helping her stand and watching her eyes run to the unfamiliar gown she wore. "What am I wearing?" She clipped, a glare running up to meet his eyes once again.

"You were dressed like that when I… acquired you. I imagine Illyrio must've dressed you in pentoshi clothing so it would not raise suspicion in your travel. Now that I think of it, your first stop should be your chambers for a bath. You've been asleep for four days".

"Illyrio Mopatis" She stated, making sense of the dialogue now.

"Yes. He found you with a few belongings, he brought them to me as well. Here" He said, reaching for a brown bag and handing it to her. In it were objects that he had not been able to identify, which she explained to be her father's 'gun', as well as the hoop earrings she had been wearing, her hair band, the former bloodied clothes and the necklace set she had worn now for over two years, ever since getting it from her father for her 15th nameday. The memories made her smile, the expression on her face contagious enough to make him smile as well and notice how she took her time snapping the three thin golden chains on before looking back at him. He saw her face fall slightly as a disturbing thought seemed to get into her head, but she was quick to suppress it, and he decided not to push the subject.

"Why didn't you keep it?" She asked, seemingly surprised.

"Pardon me?"

"The bag, the gun, the jewels… why didn't you keep it for yourself? Why would you give them back?"

"And steal them away from a lost girl? I have standards and morals, love." He said, his thick accent making her smile slightly and raise her hands in surrender. "And all the jewels I could wish for".

"You can never be too safe" She muttered and shrug, his laugh making her raise an eyebrow.

"Your speaking is one of the things we must work on, apparently"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

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 **Short? Yes? No? For the people that had already read my story, I hope you're liking the changes. I won't work too much on the plot, just on my own writing and characterization. I hope you're all liking it so far!**

 **Reviews are always welcome**

 **Bels**


	3. Meera

**So I had completely forgotten that the human body can only survive 4-ish days without water, and since the crossing of the narrow sea takes 3-5, I went for her being in the coma for 4 days instead of two weeks, idk why I went with that originally but yeah it's better now and my perfectionist brain is settled.**

 **I own absolutely nothing but my OCs and ideas and the time I spent cringing at my writing while editing this :').**

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Mari

She couldn't hold herself back from crying as she thought of her dad. If she was in any other mood, she would've dismissed the servants that came to bathe her, but although she had been sleeping for days, she didn't have the energy to say anything once Oberyn had left the room. She was so confused and so hurt at the same time that she couldn't help the sobs that raked her body as she thought back to her father, the scene of him falling to the ground with a bullet to his chest replaying in her head over and over again until she had no tears left to cry. She had spent the first day in her room, giving the excuse that she needed to get used to her environment and think, one that the maids hurriedly accepted before they left to tell Oberyn, her door closing and not opening again until the next morning. She would let herself grieve him for today, him and herself, and she wouldn't let herself forget so easily.

The next day, after another long bath and once Mari was dressed in new clothes fitting the dornish style, she could finally get some information on what was going on. Who dies and wakes up inside their favorite fictional universe? The briefing about the culture and the general social dynamics of Dorne had been done over dinner, which she had had earlier than she expected although she had not anticipated to be this hungry. The girl had lost some of her form, her hips now hugging her bones where they would've previously been plumper, and she imagined that it wouldn't take her long to get back to her original weight. Her muscles felt like jelly after spending almost a week in a comma without any nutrition whatsoever, and the past day, her grief had prevented her from stomaching any food.

She had been trying to walk to Oberyn's room the following morning when she lost her balance and ended up on the floor, drawing a small snicker from the observing girl before she came to Mari's aid. "Are you alright, my lady?" She said in a softly laced accent, Marina looking up from her position on the floor.

The young woman was about her age, give or take a year or two, with fair skin seeming uncharacteristic of Dorne, pale blue, nearly lavender eyes and platinum blonde hair worthy of a Targaryen that cascaded down the full breasts that were making Mari grow jealous with every passing second.

"Huh? Yeah, I just um.. Felt like lying down for a bit, you know?" She said, the awkward smile drawing a small laugh from the servant, making Mari scowl. "So, you're gonna help me up or not?" She asked when she realized she was unable to do it by herself, the girl's laugh halting before she lifted Mari up.

"I'm sorry my lady, I-"

"You've got some guts" She said, a tone of curiosity taking over the frustration that was still present. "What's your name?"

The girl hesitated before answering, her voice now smaller. "Meera".

"Meera. That's a pretty name" She smiled, the girl seeming scared as she looked at the smallest. "Where are you from?"

"My mother is from Lys, but I was born here in Dorne. Will you punish me for laughing?" She asked.

"Nope. I'd congratulate you for the balls, actually. You remind me of my best friends, but I'm sorry for being a petty bitch anyways".

"The balls?"

"It means courage where I'm from"

"So only men can have courage because they have balls?" She asked, her offended tone making Mari laugh and shrug.

"I know, fuck the patriarchy and everything, right?" She asked, her language making the lysine girl's eyes widen, Mari in turn bursting into laughter. "I'm sorry. I'm Marina".

"I know, I was sent by prince Oberyn to care for your needs"

"Oh were you now? Can you help me get to Prince Oberyn so that I can take care of his needs?" She asked, Meera smirking and earning a scoff from the smaller girl. "Not like that, get your mind out of the chamber pot, miss Meera. He wanted to chat" She joked, the two now laughing along, the conversation between them flowing down the wide halls.

…

Oberyn

The rules and common knowledges of Dorne had been incessantly imposed onto her over the last week, and the girl had been now swiftly walking through weaponry training and table manners alike. He guessed she would know at least some of the information, as they all seemed to, and she would occasionally ask questions about the Starks, Arryns and about the people like her that had come to Westeros, proving his point. He explained that as long as she was here, she would not be mistreated, instead taken care of as one as their own, to receive a station as his ward, and the honorary title of a Martell herself. She was taking a bath with the help of Meera, the two expressing a mutual friendship from the start. They were currently talking about her title, her in the bath hidden by a room divider while he sat on her bed comfortably.

"And the price?" She was quick to question, making him chuckle.

"Smart girl"

"You should stop antagonizing me if you want an alliance. You know that, right? Not all girls take well to it - and wow I already sound like one of you, awesome" She thought out loud, drawing a laugh from him.

"By the looks of it, not quite yet. The 'price', if you will, would be you acting as part of our house for good and bad, protecting our best interest and aiding us with any information that might be useful in the future".

"So you want me to be a part of House Martell?"

"If you wish to put it like that, yes. You will not need to pretend to be anything else, you can express your cultures and likings and opinions as you have, of course, but your alliance will be to us. Specifically, to me".

"Yes daddy" She laughed, pausing before continuing, her voice now lower "You could've asked for revenge against Tywin Lannister directly, you know" She added lightheartedly, making him tense on the spot. He was quick to answer, although his voice was now devoid of any trace of the humor that had danced along with his sentences.

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Yes you do. To avenge your sister. It's fine, it goes in favor of my best interests as well. I have a few conditions to add, though"

"Be my guest" He said, his voice back to its usual playful tone, even if serious. He recognized some nerve in the girl, if the guest was making demands already.

"I want no harm to come to the Starks or Daenerys Targaryen. If everything follows as I think it will, then we're in the brink of a war. The Starks will fight against the Lannisters, and if you're smart, you will side with the Starks to bring those blond bitches down once and for all. Except for Tyrion, he's cool, he can sit with us"

"You want all of my brother's bannermen to travel to the North?" He asked with a mixture of surprise and amusement, the sound of water signifying that the girl had risen from the bath, stepping out later with her hair wet and a long, silk robe securely wrapped around her body in a fashion most ladies would be ashamed to be seen wearing, but did not display any details of her figure from her collarbones to her ankles, the maid having come and went with a dress appropriate for Dornish fashion that would fit her.

"Yes. Well no, not all and not now of course, and a bit of money to travel and gather enough strength to fight from the outside as well. I can get you the Dothraki, and then bring Dany to reign instead"

"The Targaryen girl? Why would I want her on the throne? Why do you?"

"Because she'll be a good ruler" She answered simply, with such certainty that he was nearly convinced there and then. "I'm sure of it. She'll bring back the peace and it will be much better than King Justin Bieber" She said, spitting out the name as if it was poison, making him laugh.

"I like you, you're amusing. I'll speak to my brother about it, although I could get used to you coming directly to me for these things" He agreed, standing up and walking to sit on a nearby chair as the girl sat on the bed, combing through her hair. It was like that that Meera found them, and the prince excused himself long enough for the girl to get dressed before waltzing back in, nodding in approval at her dress.

The garments were divided in two, with the top hugging her torso in brown snakeskin and reaching her midriff, completely displaying the curve of her waist, paired with a loose, darker brown skirt that parted from underneath her bellybutton and was complete with golden accents that matched her Lengi earrings and the jewelry she always wore: a set of three golden necklaces. One with a red, anatomical heart resting at the same length her breasts began to curve, another, about an inch higher, with her nickname 'Mar' and the third resting at her throat with a small sphere of a white glowing stone which she had said to be opal, the golden chains twinkling in the light against her skin. The outfit was enough to leave any man breathless, and it was no different with Oberyn.

"Meera made it for me" she said, smiling fondly at her friend who looked proudly at the dress. "She'll be just as amazing of a seamstress as her mother".

"I have no doubt of it" he said kindly to the fair colored girl, smiling at both of them before walking the two to dinner - a request that Mari had made for the maid a few weeks ago.

…

Meera

The girls had been closer than ever, with Meera still questioning the foul language used by the foreigner even if it was already adapting to her surroundings despite her foreign accent still sticking out. Meera still served under her, but the girl's independence in comparison to the other ladies in Westeros had left both of them with little to do, giving them time to learn from each other, go out often and have fun as equals - something Meera adored about her new friend.

In the weeks that had gone by, Mari had gained back the weight she had lost and was now back to exercising and eating healthily, training fights unlike any lady she had ever seen but straying away from swords, seeing as her small frame could not handle the weight of a longsword. Marina had also been learning how to ride - what she had explained to be unacustomed to back in her town, and she was no great rider, but could now stand on a horse without falling or making them nervous.

"Tell me about your home, Mar" Meera asked using the nickname on her necklace - which she had found to also mean sea in her native tongue - that she had recently adopted, as the two walked around the farmer's market collecting the natural ingredients Mari would need for her beauty tools, the girl smiling fondly to herself.

"Well...I have family from Cuba and I think some place white aside from the US - maybe Ireland, but I was born in Puerto Rico, and my father is from there too so I speak Spanish fluently as a first language and I will say some words once in a while as you have noticed, but I was raised from twelve to nearly seventeen in Miami, so it is just as much of a home, I suppose" She began, stopping to ask which one she wanted to hear about first, being met with the latter.

"Well, Miami is… to start, it's on the southeast coast of Florida, which is a peninsula if you know what that is, bathed by beautiful beaches with white sand and turquoise water and shitty people, where it's always warm and has more foreigners than actual American citizens - which is great since we're constantly exposed to so many different cultures and it has I think the highest population of latinos in the country. It's very populous and a major city when it comes to trade, commerce and entertainment. Um let's see… It's not a monarchy, America in general is not, and there are no slaves or servants or any of that bullshit even though there is a hierarchy in most workforces - yes, everybody works. Most streets are clean, so is the water and it's very fertile and green but people don't really use it to grow crops. Most of the people are mixed race - coloring, as you would say - or just white old men that go there to retire. Or tourists, lots and lots of Brazilian tourists. That's all I can tell you right now, I can't really think of anything else" She finished with a shrug, looking at her pensive face with a small smile. "What?"

"You match the place you're at. You're strong and passionate. Stubborn, admittedly, and too defensive, but with good survival skills and an exotic, Rhoynish-looking beauty for the descendents of the Andals and the First Men" She outlined, the girl looking at Meera strangely before muttering a "You got all that from 'beautiful beaches and shitty people?' Thanks, but the color of my skin doesn't make me exotic", making her laugh again. "Your curves as well"

"What curves? I have no boobs whatsoever"

"Yes you do, they're simply…"

"Half of the size of yours"

"But you have quite a big behind" She stated matter of factly, now making Mari laugh out loud in agreement.

"Yes, I'm sure my thick thighs and brown eyes will win over someone's heart someday"

"If it doesn't, that boy is the stupidest that has ever lived. And the other?"

"Yes, Puerto Rico. It's so hard to describe it in just a few words, it's such a culturally rich country filled with pride, passion and this light-hearted feeling that prevails on the people even with the infamous dick-tators. I mean, of course they suffer, but I feel like latinos are so strong that they can withstand it, most people that come from Cuba or Venezuela or anywhere really, to America just want a better life. It's an island, so is my mom's home, Cuba, with beaches thousands of times better than Miami's and filled with music and laughter and the smell of the ocean breeze wherever you go, almost as if it's carried by the warm people and so common it becomes part of their skin. Also we tend to dance a lot and the culture is much too different for me to even begin to explain so easily. That's what I remember, anyways. It was always a happy place for me. I used to live in Fajardo and we would always go to the islands near it, mostly Icacos. It's so close that you can see it from the mainland. I remember me and my primos would always go play there, swim in the ocean and collect all the seashells and little fruits we could find" She said, her voice elevating with such passion for her country, the thought alone seeming like paradise.

"You must show me some day" She said softly, earning a wide grin and a nod from Mari.

For the following days, she had been getting accustomed to Dorne, ordering dresses to be made - some in dornish fashion, others similar to what she would wear on a daily basis back home but longer, of course, and some trousers and blouses, mixing in traditional dornish influences to the design, none of which gave Meera any trouble. The feeling that came with helping her design the most beautiful gowns that no one in either Lys, Dorne or Westeros as a whole could have imagined was exhilarating, and she took notes for her later dresses until she started creating them by herself, Mari always seeming pleased with the results.

As much as Mari paid her for the work, she didn't even deem it necessary, since the pleasure of doing them itself and giving space to her creativity was the biggest reward, and she had looked forward to it every day. Her friend had asked for some clothes made for travels farther North - which she planned to go on soon enough to be able to meet the Starks - and although those seemed to be the hardest to sow due to the thickness of the fabric, She still managed to make the clothing suit the girl's style and complement her figure the best she could.

Mari had met all 'people of importance' in Dorne, including some army commanders and a few noble houses of nearby cities, making sure to have their support and allegiance to the house Martell if it ever came to and starting to 'pull-off a Margery' - as she would call it, as well as to earn the support and respect of the common people around her with her kind and carefree nature. Most of her days were spent with Oberyn - who had now taken to her as a daughter, as well as his paramour, Elia and Doran Martell himself - if not with Meera when she was not busy with her favorite pastime. Marina somehow just seemed to remind her of home, despite her own being too far to reach.

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 **And that is it for the day, Meera Falcan has been introduced and I hope you like her, because I do. We'll be seeing a lot more of her soon. :)**

 **Expositional conversations were expositional. I'm sinning my own story.**


	4. Follow the Yellow Brick Road

**To clarify: For those of you who have not heard of 'Lengi', it's a noun for things coming from Leng, an island in the Jade Sea in the south coast of Essos known for its great wealth, spices and gemstones. I imagine it (and tumblr too) to look like a mix of different east asian jewelry.**

 **Another one.**

 **This one is filled with cutesy but small pieces of interaction since I didn't want the whole fic to be made of filler chapters.**

 **Own nothing.**

 **But my OCs, of course.**

 **Hope you like it.**

 **I surely do, this was very fun to write.**

 **Bye**

* * *

Jaime

It wasn't uncommon for visitors to show up unannounced in King's Landing, but when the news came from Dorne that the Red Viper travelled up the kingsroad with one of them, he knew that trouble was riding along. The passing of Jon Arryn had come two days ago, and the Kingdom was assembling for the ride to the grey wasteland the Starks called home to get a hold of their grim patriarch, Ned. It was no secret that out of all the time hoppers that had come, none seemed to side with the Lannisters and that had not only stirred his father and sister, but also brought a sense of worry to even him, and Jaime did not do well with worrying. While the North had their old Maester in the hands of the Wall, the Tully's with their black-skinned boy and the Tyrell's with a high historian and a warrior as well as some older woman, Dorne had acquired the beautiful girl, and the anticipation of the people in King's Landing to meet one of them grew by the hour, somehow not even his sister being able to hold herself back.

"Maybe we could get her on our side. Get her to marry Joff and have an all-knowing girl around us if we ever come to need it".

He remembered Cersei's words clearly, and while he agreed that good could be brought upon them by her presence, the thought of having to snatch her away from Prince Oberyn seemed exhilarating on itself.

It was no secret that there was bad blood between the Martells and the Lannisters, and although he hoped she would not share their views of his house, she was with the Dornish for a reason. He had only heard rumors of her beauty and impulsiveness, and could already tell her allegiance might be hard to get, but all they could do was hope. After all, no one could outbid a Lannister, and if it wasn't for the friendship between Dorne and most of Essos, they would've had her in their lands first.

…

Varys

His Lysene envoy had sent him word that this girl could be useful for them, and so they had been tracking her every move in hopes that if Meera grew close enough, she could persuade the girl to do their bidding. He had heard from her letters that the girl's temper was short and she ran on passion instead of rational thought, but that she was also too smart and had had fighting training from her father and Prince Oberyn alike, and so the best approach to her mind was indeed through warming her heart to the girl enough for her opinions to be valid, and his will completed by the hands of the girl so that his own remained clean. The two girls had seemed close enough, and he knew by Meera's words that Dorne was the right place for her - if not due to her physical characteristics, then her fiery personality.

The day had come for their arrival and he sensed a tense excitement around the court. The children lined up at the entrance in the throne room as expected, with Robert in the Iron throne, Joffrey at one side and his Queen at his left wearing the exquisite Lannister colors that seemed to match her perfectly, framing her as the Lioness she truly was, not one bit the stag she had wed.

The kingsguard stood in front of the steps that led to the iron throne, careful not to block the view of the royal family, yet protect them all from the imminent threat that Oberyn could be. It felt like hours before the murmurs of the court were broken by a roar of the King.

"Someone fetch me this bloody lot before I die of boredom"

The following second, the horde was entering the throne room; two dozens of Dornish knights behind the girl and Oberyn himself, and they all stopped to take a peek at the pair, who seemed to match as closely as father and daughter, if it were not for her much more feminine facial features.

...

Cersei

The girl had good cheekbones, she could see. A sharp yet unmistakingly feminine jaw, with plump red lips, big round eyes that shone nearly gold even from the distance she was at and a golden tanned skin with a full head of black hair to pair it. They both rode sand steeds, with hers midnight black from head to toes, and the sight of her alone was threatening to the Queen. Despite her exotic coloring and features, the girl was a beauty. That she could not deny, and the looks the court was giving her made the Queen slightly jealous.

"Prince Oberyn. What brings you to King's Landing?" Robert asked, Cersei eyes straying from the girl back to her pig of a husband.

"I'm merely here to escort my… ward. She is to travel North and wanted to make a quick stop to get acquainted with the royal court" Oberyn explained, his voice serious and devoid of the usual playfulness it was rumoured to have.

Cersei caught herself once again gazing curiously at the foreigner, this time her eyes getting caught as the girl kept her gaze locked, neither of them moving their eyes away until the king spoke to her directly.

"Girl, why do you ride North, out of all places?"

"I want to see all of the Seven Kingdoms and beyond, if I can, Your Grace" She answered, her accent making the murmurs of the court raise again.

"And where are you from?" He asked curiously, leaning forward on the throne as if to look at her better. The Queen noticed that she hesitated before smiling politely.

"From a lot of places, but as of lately, I'm Dornish" She said, looking back at Oberyn, who smiled proudly at the answer, a familial bond seeming to emanate between them.

It was clear what the answer meant, and the Queen clenched her fists as her plan went out the window. The girl's alliances were clearly already made, and even if the answer had brought laughter to the king, who proceeded to welcome her, Cersei looked at the girl with a glare powerful enough to freeze her to death easier than the frigid North ever could.

From the beginning, the flame in the girl had clashed with the Queen's icy heart, but seemed to appease both her brothers and the King himself, and so her relationship with her brothers started to grow.

She worried for Jaime, and knew that if the girl truly knew as much as people credited her type for, then she would be aware of their relationship, and someone would be joining Jon Arryn in the grave.

...

Jaime

He could not lie and say that his curiosity was not peaked by the girl. By openly declaring herself as a Dornish citizen, and the way the two looked at each other, he could tell she was much more than a ward to the dornish prince, although there was no romantic interest between them either. He looked at her as a father would, proud of her loyalty. As far as he knew, she had only been in Dorne for about a moon, maybe a moon and a half, and had managed to charm the Red Viper already. He was quite impressed. He could see the way she looked at his sister, his kingsguard helmet blocking his face, though not his view, and once again she managed to surprise him.

"You may stay for tonight and rest, girl. The servants will find you a comfortable bed" The king spoke up, gesturing for a servant girl to come forward. It was then that Jaime realized that the king was not drunk, a rare occasion. He supposed he wanted to be on his peak performance, considering the crown's relationship with Dorne ever since the events of the rebellion.

"We thank you kindly, your grace, but we have booked an inn to stay in for the night, as to not trouble you while you get your household ready for the travel" Oberyn spoke, maintaining his seriousness. He saw the king tense and give a curt nod. He wouldn't go so far as to say the Red Viper was scared of staying the night and having the same fate as his sister, but he would not sleep easy knowing him and the girl were under the same roof in which his nieces and nephews had been brutally murdered as babes by his father's commands. At that, she stopped him, speaking so quietly he would not have been able to hear if the great halls did not echo with the uncomfortable silence.

"Oberyn, it's ok. I'll have to stay with them during the trip, it's better I start getting to know them now. Plus, I don't want to start on the wrong foot"

"It's not safe. I don't trust them"

"Do you trust me?" she asked, and he nodded without hesitation.

At that, she turned back to the king, her voice now back to its melodic yet raspy nature. "We will kindly accept your offer, your grace. We could use some mending between the crown and Dorne's relationship" She said, smiling warmly and leaving the two fighting men astounded. "We will sleep in the tower of the hand for tonight, along with our men, and tomorrow I'll go and join the northern party" The way she rolled her 'r's, her accent and the near regal authority she had were more than fitting of her title. A princess of Dorne, The Red Viper's adoptive daughter.

With a pleased look from the couple of monarchs, she bowed in her horse and they both retreated. No one dared speak for a few minutes after they were gone, until the king broke the silence with a roar for wine, and the court started moving again.

…

Mari

"Ok ok, before you yell at me…" She started, once they were now in the privacy of the vacant tower of the hand.

"What is wrong with you?"

"So much" she answered, stifling a laugh at her own response and earning an incredulous look from Oberyn before he sighed, trying to hide his own smile.

"It is not the time for jokes. It's too dangerous for us to be here"

"Will you let something happen to me?" He shook his head no. "And do you trust that I can take care of myself?" he reluctantly nodded. "Then we'll be ok! We can sleep in the same room if you're worried. Robert may be stupid but he's not stupid enough to break the paper thin peace Dorne and the crown have. We'll be fiiine, don't worry so much" She said, taking his hands and making him roll his eyes.

"Who ever would've thought that someone was telling me, out of all people, not to worry" He said, his voice now softer, and she shrugged before jumping on the fluffy, feather bed and sighing in content at the feeling of the soft mattress and blankets beneath her, curling her arms up against it and closing her eyes with a smile before they heard a knock on the door, her body jerking up into a sitting position before her eyes drifted to his, Oberyn walking to the door as she stood and straightened out her dress, a new royal blue sleeveless dress with gold trims at the waist that Meera had made especially for her to meet the king, in Dornish fashion.

Oberyn had to look down as soon as he opened the door and saw no one in front of him, being met with none other than Tyrion Lannister. His eyes narrowed at the short man before Marina came to stand by his side, resting a hand on his back and feeling him calm down slightly as he seemed to remember her words.

Not Tyrion, Tyrion is cool.

"My princess" He bowed. She was still not used to the title, and every time people called her that she almost felt like she was in a fairy tale, but the universe of A Song of Ice and Fire was far from a fairy tale. If she could've chosen which world to be trapped in, she would've chosen one with a lower probability of her getting murdered, one where her phone would work and she could immerse herself in Ozuna's music again, a world where her father was still alive, but she was never one to mope about things she couldn't change. Her attention was brought back to the shorter man they called the imp and she noticed he was not nearly as brutal as the books made him out to be, she might even go as far as to say he was actually attractive. "I am afraid we have not been acquainted. My name is Tyrion Lannister. I must say, the stories do not do you justice. You are far more beautiful than people say"

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, Tyrion. And I know who you are" at that he looked up with a small smile, although she was not tall, his head reaching the height of her shoulders.

"I'm afraid my nature as a dwarf has become famous then"

At that she laughed lightly. She knew he was insecure, yet unapologetic about it, but decided to not entertain his thoughts. "Actually, it was your clothes. Red and gold? Typical of a Lannister. That and the blond hair, green eyes sort of vibe. As someone that was never really on the tall end of the height spectrum, I get how annoying it is for people to point it out"

"Yes, I suppose you do" He answered, smiling up at her with the curious look he had in his eyes, bowing as he turned to Oberyn. "Prince Oberyn. I find you had a safe journey here from Dorne?"

"Yes. Quite charming, your capital. Did you come to greet us alone?"

"Yes, and to hopefully get a chance to get to know our new princess. It is much too rare to find a person of her… background, here in the capital. May I?" He said, extending out an arm for her to take, and she smiled as she took his hand instead, offering her free one to Oberyn.

"He won't hurt me, I trust him. Do you want to come for a stroll? I'd love to get to know the castle" She said brightly, Oberyn smiling at her enthusiasm before declining, leaving a kiss on her forehead.

"No, I'll get some rest here. Be back before supper so I don't send the entire guard out looking for you" he said, earning a 'yes father' from her, the nickname making him roll his eyes and chuckle, watching the two walk down the hall before he closed the door.

As soon as Tyrion saw that the common courtesies didn't do much for her, he started to talk to her more openly, asking about her life in Dorne, what her world was like and how she had gotten here, all of which she explained in detail. If there was one character she loved, much like most readers, was Tyrion, and she had been so excited to meet him that trust came easily, surprising him enough to ask about were now talking about him, with her eyes scouring every wall, every corner of the castle widely, in search for something to undo the fantasy of being in The Red Keep, to metaphorically pinch her into reality. She had been very sheltered in Dorne, and her mind seemed to only properly register the fact that she was in this world when she started meeting the people and gliding down the halls of king's landing. She had been turning a hall with Tyrion, the friendship between the two starting to blossom already from the open conversation when she slammed into something hard. She would've thought it was a wall if an arm hadn't extended to catch her, the guard raising his eyebrows and smirking as she grumbled before her eyes settled on him, widening in astonishment.

Jaime Fucking Lannister.

"You should be more mindful of your surroundings"

"I thought you were a wall. How can you live with that heavy ass armor on all the time?" she said, eliciting a laugh from Jaime.

"I can handle it, Princess" He said, earning a roll of her eyes.

The following days were used to say their goodbyes as the month-long trip to the North proceeded with the minor hitches of the half a dozen Dornishmen that stayed with her while Oberyn went back to Dorne with the rest, while they travelled with Marina and Meera.

...

Jaime

It was now near the end of the trip North as they had now been in Torrhen's Square, and the party had been so slow that the girl had been stopping at the landmarks throughout all of the Seven Kingdoms to explore around the best she could, still not resorting to her 'gun' or any other object. It had been during one of those trips, when she had been out on her own, that the eldest Lannister followed her by horse, trailing after her loudly enough for her to hear and stop, jumping out of her own steed and waiting for him to do the same so they could walk together.

He followed without question as the girl walked to a bush, grabbing some wild berries and putting them away in a bag the servants had crafted to hang on her waist - almost as an oversized pocket. The figure-hugging, light pink floral dress she wore was accompanied by a fur cape, which she had initially objected strongly to due to 'animal cruelty' before she was left with it as her only choice once the cold of the North had her freezing like nothing she had ever felt before.

"Why do you always do this?" He asked curiously, sitting upon a rock and watching her pick up a rough, black rock from the nearby river before hoisting her sleeves up to wash the berries she had picked, turning back to him with a characteristic raised eyebrow. "Stop to collect rocks and go around the place"

"I'm collecting moments. Places, Jaime, not just 'rocks'. They're memories. I may not get to visit the castles and stuff but I do get little souvenirs everywhere I go, so I can remember my trips somehow" She answered swiftly while washing the sweet fruits, only turning back to offer him a sweet smile.

"Yes, but why such a simple thing as rocks? Why not buy jewels like any other woman would?"

"Where I come from, Money isn't simply given to you, Jaime. You have to work for it, or else you're basically fucked in this life, and I have other ambitions that do not include sitting around on my lazy ass while belonging to a man and needing his support to pay for my stuff. I pay for my stuff, and side-street come mierda merchants are something this girl is not too keen on spending money on" She answered simply, the knight smiling at the cursing he had gotten so used to as they spent more time together. He noticed that the closest she seemed to someone, the dirtiest her language got. He supposed they were pretty close, close enough for her to be comfortable with his presence, not tensing up as she initially would.

He was partially jealous of his brother at first, of how fast she had trusted him and gotten comfortable with him, and the near fortnight that it took for her to get any place near it with Jaime, which made him hesitant, considering she knew what would happen in their future. Was he really as bad as people made him out to be? He tried not to succumb to his sins, but between his sister, the murder of the mad king and his renouncement of his title as the heir of Casterly Rock, his morals were not as high as they could've been.

"I see" He answered simply, making her turn around, her mouth agape. "What?" He asked innocently, watching her roll her green eyes.

"I give you a whole fucking rant about the value of money and all you say is 'I see'?" She stated, doing her best to mimic his voice and hearing him laugh loudly.

"That is not how I talk"

"That is not how I talk" She mimicked again, his laughter getting louder, with her soon joining in with her sweet one.

"Heavens, I'm surprised the King has not tried to snatch you up yet" He said half-ironically, his laughter resuming at her expression as she scrunched up her nose.

"Coño, he's old enough to be my father, if not older"

"He does have a peculiar taste for the younger women though"

"You mean whores" She deadpanned, making him raise his arms up in surrender, almost as if abstaining from the comment. "Thank god I'm not one of them then. I mean, por favor! My father raised me straight, with ambitions bigger than any guys' dick could possibly be, yet here I am unable to accomplish them because of the thoughts of men like you, Lion" She joked, feigning frustration and earning a chuckle at the nickname he had become familiar with by now.

"Yes, I apologize, It is strange for us to embrace the American customs so openly and easily. Not all of us are too keen on equality as they are in Braavos"

"Yes, rich white male, you don't have to be keen on equality when you're already more equal than other equals" His face said it before he could, her eyes rolling again "Yeah yeah I know it didn't make any sense, ok? Shut up it's from a book" She answered, her playful tone not even coming close to offending, even if it was not how a lady spoke.

"One day those pretty eyes of your will stick to the back of your brains" He called as she walked away, watching her turn and smirk at him.

"I'm sure the view will be lovelier then; much better than looking at you" She called back jokingly, giggling before mounting again, already having heard the call and noticing the men undo their camps, the party starting to ride. Jaime was soon to follow, but at this time she had ridden with Tyrion and Meera, high on her midnight black horse with golden reins talking to him about books, history and what was not yet recognized as science.

…

Tyrion

"I see you and my brother have become quite close" He said, smiling at the girl who was now riding beside him and watching her glare as she looked at him.

"Pendejo, no te mato porque dios es grande" She deadpanned, even if she was very well aware that he could not understand much.

"You know, the impact of your sentences would be much bigger if I understood anything other than you calling me stupid with that Pendejo" He said, watching her shrug and mumble a "That's sort of the point" before letting out an exasperated sigh. "I said that the only reason I don't kill you, is because God is great"

"And because you love me" He said, grinning at her playfully.

"You know I do. But that doesn't make you any less stupid for even suggesting anything about me and Jaime"

"Fair point. When will you teach me some more of your culture?" He asked expectantly, making her laugh.

"We do have half a trip, still" she teased, making the imp smile.

* * *

 **Ai I made this one so much longer than the rest and I'm so happy with it. There's much more of her and Oberyn, as well as more of her and the Lannisters. I was REALLY missing some bonding with Tyrion, and he's such a fun character to write. Please tell me your thoughts! If you want more interactions between her and the Lannisters, if it's too much and it's getting boring, if you just want me to get the the Starks already or anything like it, let me know! I was going to split this in two but it'd fuck up my whole dynamic so eu miei, aceita caralho.**

 **Beijo pros meus BR que entendem as merdas que eu falo, descobri que tenho alguns leitores BR então é nois.**

Bels


	5. Robb

**For reference, I'll be using some PR or general hispanic slangs in the text just to make it more believable and fun.**

 **To remind y'all, I own nothing but my ideas and OCs.**

* * *

Jon

"Why is your mother so dead set on us getting pretty for the king?" Jon asked, his voice showing his dislike for the actions of Lady Stark. The three young men were shirtless, Theon standing by the corner, propped up on one of the structural, vertical beams while Robb was sitting across from Jon, his stubble being shaved off.

"It's for the queen, I bet. I hear she's a sleek bit of mink" Theon answered, his lust getting the best of his judgement, as usual.

"I hear the prince is a right royal prick" Robb added flatly, making Jon smile at the comment.

"Think of all the southern girls he gets to stab with his right royal prick. Maybe even some foreigners. I hear the king rides with a guest, and that her bum is as big as it gets with a small framed girl. She must have some delicious exotic curves if-" Jon was tuning out Theon's lewd comments as usual, when Robb's interruption brought him back from his thoughts.

"Theon, you should try to stop thinking with your right, non-royal prick" Jon laughed at the comment while Theon smiled back in amusement, countering quickly.

"Never, my friend. I'm sure you would too if you knew what I knew, having never had a Dornish woman yourself"

"Neither have you, they wouldn't survive so far North" Robb joked.

"I hear she comes from America though like Tony, but with Rhoynar coloring to match the Dornish. I wonder if they know each other" Jon stated, doing his best to change the topic of the conversation.

Without answering, Robb got up with a small smirk, directing his next speech to the barber and topping it with laughter, patting his half brother in the back. "Go on Tommy, sheer him good. He's never met a girl he likes better than his own hair".

…

Mari

The sight of the snow, even if in a small quantity, filled her with a sense of childish glee that she had to fight hard to control, settling for simply smiling at the shiny white flecks. A few days had passed after the incident at Torrhen's Square, the sight of the gigantic fortress that neared with every gallop building up her anxiety just as powerfully as King's Landing had before. She wanted to stray from the rest and go inside at full throttle, but knew she could not, even if her horse demanded it. Her thoughts were broken by his voice, as she realized that Sol, her horse, had ridden a bit faster, enough to stay at the front with the kingsguard.

"You've never seen snow before?" Asked Jaime, getting a shake of her head in response before she sighed dreamily and smiled up at him, looking up with vibrant eyes.

"It's beautiful" Her normally louder voice came as a whisper, and her smile itself was contagious enough to bring one from ear to ear on his face.

She had not expected to get this close to Jaime. Tyrion yes, he was always one of her favorite characters in the book while she had always had a love-hate relationship with Jaime's character and a hate-hate relationship with the Queen, but actually meeting them all had been so different than what she had expected. Her first meeting with the eldest Lannister was quite tense, his strong personality clashing with hers, but his smoothness won her over quickly, and she thought back to the bad things he had done in the books that she might be able to prevent.

She rode next to the King now. "How are they like? The Starks" She questioned, watching the smile on his face as they neared the castle.

"Fucking grim" he answered, laughing with his characteristic, strange wheezing and elaborating by explaining that he had only met the eldest child, Robb when they were small, and he was now was now her age. The explanation was directed with a look to her, the king watching her huff before trotting with her horse to stay at front along with Jaime as they entered the gates of the keep.

They had all barely been inside the walls when she looked up, finding various pairs of eyes on her, some eyeing her bright clothes while some simply stared at her, mixed emotions in different eyes with a particular pair of Tully blue ones seeming to catch her attention. Robb. She barely caught herself looking him up and down before uttering the words, Jaime turning to her with a confused expression as he helped her dismount. "Ay bendito" she had sighed, Jaime laughing before noticing where her gaze was, the smile falling from his face.

She was quick to divert her eyes to all of them, looking to match the King's description with the books and making her smile down at the ground. She walked next to Jaime swiftly once she noticed, making sure to express the idea to him.

"There goes Sansa Stark eye-fucking Joffrey" She whispered, making him do his best to hold in his laughter at the notice and pointing out the protective looks the eldest Stark son was sending between the flirting pair, and she could not look back away once she caught his eyes.

Sansa smiled shyly as if one of the fairy tales she often read had come true, noticing the way Robb's eyes went straight to the Dornish Princess. Lady Stark's eyes wandered between the two, a small smile growing on her own features at the prospect of a match.

Marina seemed to snap out of the trance first, following down the line to greet the remaining Stark children warmly, spending some time with Arya's questions, all the while Robb's eyes were glued to her, searching for hers.

The king entered then following the royal carriage, everyone bowing at his presence and making her eyebrows raise, pursing her lips and nodding her head as if to say a small 'respect'. He motioned for everyone to rise after getting down from the poor horse with some difficulty and wobbling over to the patriarch of the family, all of them standing in sequence almost as if it had been coordinated.

"Your Grace" She heard Ned Stark say, all eyes on the pair.

"You got fat" Robert answered after a small pause of analysing his old friend. All it seemed to take was for Lord Stark to give the King's own gut a pointed look before the two broke into laughter, everyone seeming to follow suit with smiles. The king warmly greeted the whole family before the Queen followed, Robert looking pointedly at her before ushering her over with a "Come on, girl", making her dismount swiftly before walking forward and curtsying clumsily to Lord and Lady Stark. Her cursties were one of the things she hadn't yet mastered, the years of ballet seeming lost on her completely when it came to grace. She did remember her teacher yelling at her for having 'elephant steps'.

"My Lord, my Lady. Thank you for hosting us in your beautiful home" She said politely with a wide smile, not missing Arya's snickers about her curtsy, the youngest sister's eyes locking with hers long enough to receive a wink. The looks that the eldest Stark gave to the girl did not go unnoticed by Jaime of the King.

"You're welcome, my dear. I imagine you must've been tired after such a long journey" Lady Stark spoke, earning a snort from Robert.

"She's a restless one, Cat. She'll be running in the snow with your children in no time". The comment made her give him a pointed glare, followed by a curse muttered under her breath.

Before the introductions could be concluded he was walking off to the crypts with Lord Stark much to the Queen's subtle protest, and the awkward silence was filled with the smallest girl asking about 'the Imp', making the Queen seem even more distressed and raising a spontaneous giggle from Marina. She looked to Arya, who smiled brightly at the girl and was about to say something before Sansa nudged her hard to make her shut up.

"I'll go fetch him" Mari offered to the Queen, earning a confused look at the helpfulness of the girl, Jaime going to accompany her and raising another glare from Carsei, which didn't seem to bother the girl at all.

…

Jaime

"Are you sure you want to go?" He said as soon as she climbed back up on their horse, riding to Winter Town. "Aren't you tired? You've been riding the whole trip"

"Just because it hurt in the beginning, doesn't mean I'm weak, Jaime. We don't usually ride horses where I'm from" She said, rolling her eyes at him with a small smile, making him give her a smirk in return.

"Still, the place where Tyrion is... it's not a good place for a lady" He said, hearing her click her tongue.

"I thought we had established that I'm not a lady. I'm not from here, you can't hold me to the same regards and expectations as you do to Westerosi women" She said, making him nod in understanding.

"You can be a lady though"

"When I want to. Right now, I don't really care. Race you to Winter Town!" She said quickly, his mind having only a second to register her words before he saw her already running off to the nearby city, giggling on her way and seeming to enjoy it as much as her stallion.

"How can we race if you don't know the way to it?" He yelled out, hearing her giggle before shouting back an "It's an adventure, we'll figure it out"

He was not left behind for long, following her as fast as his white steed could go, catching up to her only to hear her let out a small gasp before rushing her sand steed forward in a speed he knew he could not keep up with, but tried his best to at least meet her there.

They arrived in no time, the people of the small northern city giving them strange yet admiring looks before they walked inside the brothel, Jaime making sure to walk behind her in case anyone came to attack from her blind spot. The scene they caught Tyrion in was not nearly as graphic as it could've been, even if the red-headed whore he was with was stark naked and did her best to show at the notice of Jaime. She was beautiful indeed, he could say, but the foreign girl before him had been the only woman he had had his sight on for a while now, and he still found himself comparing her to Cersei in most occasions.

Admittedly, the girl did have more prominent faults than the Queen, with her loud nature, her overly honest personality and her lack of ladylike manners. However, the girl's free, fiery spirit was not matched when it came to Cersei. Sweet at heart, Marina was as a precious jewel; dark and plain as a rock at first, but the most beautiful, precious being on the inside, and her good qualities overpowered those of his sister in a contrast so gigantic that he found himself wondering what he had first loved so much about his twin anyways. Of course he could not stop loving the woman from the turn of nightfall, but he found himself growing more and more critical of her actions, regretting his own in addition to it.

His lapse of thought was momentarily, broken by a loud foreign offense as soon as the girl came into the room, another one that he didn't understand, before she buried her head on Jaime's chest to cover her eyes, her warmth radiating even behind the golden breastplate and he laughed once he realized that she had thrown a shoe. At the sounds, the whore turned to face them, Jaime cocking his head to the side.

"Don't get up" He said, Mari's head still facing the metal breastplate before turning around with her eyes closed to let him go, much to his dismay.

"Should I explain to you the meaning of a closed door in a whorehouse, brother?" Tyrion inquired, doing his best to cover himself and telling the girl she was free to look. "You brought her here? She is an innocent girl, Jaime"

"You have much to teach me, no doubt" He said back to his brother, closing the door and keeping his eyes on him. "But our sister craves your attention"

"She has odd cravings, our sister" He said, trying to hide the whore's body with his own, Jaime hearing a small laugh from the expectating girl.

"A family trait" Jaime said, pouring himself a glass of wine.

"I'm not an 'innocent girl', I'm not ashamed of sex I just don't want to see your... thing. Your penis is too wrapped up in character development" She said, raising a smile from Jaime and a grin from Tyrion.

"The Starks are feasting us at sundown" He interrupted, looking back at his brother before raising his glass. "Don't leave me alone with these people".

"I'm sorry. I've become the feast a bit early. And this" Tyrion pointed to the redhead woman "is the first of many courses". Jaime heard her giggle, walking back to the door himself.

"I thought you might say that. But since we're short on time" He said, opening the door again and letting the trio of other whores flow into the room, Mari seeming shocked and mumbling something he did not understand before looking away. "See you at sundown" He said, grabbing gently onto Mari's hand and tugging her out of the room, hearing Tyrion yell out for him to close the door.

"Her body's so pretty! I wish I had boobs like that" She said, pouting and making him look at her strangely as if he wanted to comment, but kept it to himself, before she stuck out her tongue at him, climbing back up on her horse when they got to it and looking back at him with a smirk. "Oh, and I won".

…

Robb

He didn't know what bothered him so much about the Lannister knight. Maybe it was the way he exuded confidence and cockyness, maybe the way he flipped his hair back as soon as he removed his helmet, or maybe it was the way he lit up the face of the beautiful foreign girl with laughter, seeming to follow her like a lost dog. Perhaps it was all of it combined, but he started off already disliking the man.

He had been disappointed when she had left before greeting them properly, Arya having seemed to mirror the feelings while Sansa was too busy admiring the Queen and eyeing the prince, and that had raised his dislike for Jaime Lannister even more when he went to accompany her. Robb could guess where they were going; he had heard of the Imp's fame, and felt his curiosity rise at the thought of her in a whorehouse. With any lady it would be unfitting, of course; even offensive to their honor, but she did not seem to mind one bit.

True to Theon's words, the girl's beauty had been undeniable, his words had been stolen by the girl as soon as he saw her. Her tanned skin seemed to have seen far too much sun, in contrast with the pale Northern girls he had met. Her hair was shinier than he had ever seen any stone be, left completely loose and in waves, reflecting the light in a few places when she bounced to greet his family, and her eyes were the most intriguing shade of brown, switching from golden to nearly black depending on the lighting and her expression. But even when deviating his eyes down her prominent curves, he couldn't help but be drawn to her smile, the way her eyes crinkled into almonds the contrast of her darker skin with her pearly white teeth.

He would have to wait to learn more, but he could certainly see that she was going to be an interesting adventure either path she would follow.

…

Meera

After Cercei ordered Jaime and Mari away with Arya's loud question for the Imp, most of the party having already dismounted, she settled for looking around for the stables before Meera came with her own horse to take the two. Since the Queen seemed to be busy introducing her children to the family, Jon had been paying attention to the other girl, earning a nudge from Theon when her actions were noticed and rushing to her, offering his hand to take the reins. "Here, let me help".

"Oh no no it's alright, I can take them" The girl said in a thick accent, also foreign, her violet-blue eyes looking at him softly while a smile graced her lips.

"It's no trouble, my Lady" He said. She noticed his nervousness almost as if he was transparent, and was quick to remediate by telling him they could walk together, and that it wasn't necessary for him to act as a servant for her.

"I'm Meera, Lady Marina's… maid. I'll be staying here for a while, it seems, we might as well get to know each other, no?" She said, smiling at the perplexed boy.

"I… Yes, I suppose. I'm Jon. Jon Snow" he answered, hoping that the surname would get a reaction from her, almost as if expecting repulsion. Instead, she smiled warmly, her eyes seeming to twinkle.

"Ah, it looks like I did see more snow here after all" She joked, her play on words making him smile slightly and earning a soft giggle from her then. She said nothing before walking back into the patio to see Mar talking to the Lannister knight. A sense of protectiveness came over her, but was soon chased away when she saw her friend look around for her and smile. They had seemed to have taken each other as sisters, Marina now teaching her all she could about medicine and science in exchange for the dress-making, something that had been Meera's dream even before the strange girl had come by. "Could I walk you to your room?" Jon offered, the girl turning to him and nodding.

...

Mari

They returned to the castle not long after, noticing everyone had dispersed, and deciding to walk around the open castle after leaving their horses in the stables to rest. She had been walking with Jaime for some time, talking about random things, who she had found to be much more endearing in real life, able to hold meaningful conversations and being surprisingly smart.

"Doesn't walking around with that full armour bother you? It must weigh you down so much" She marvelled, looking up at him for his answer. He was about a foot taller than her, her head the same level as his broad shoulders, so it was quite a bit of straining from both ends of the conversation to look at each other.

"I suppose I've gotten used to it. Compared to the weight of a battle axe embedded onto my chest, it is not much" He argued, making her roll her eyes, raising a laugh from him in return.

They stopped when they came to the courtyard, watching three older boys spectating a fourth, the only one with his face turned in their direction and that she did not recognize. She had assumed the dark auburn, nearly brown curls belonged to Robb Stark, as she had seen him standing beside his father but did not get a chance to introduce herself. By logic, next to him would be Jon snow, with his characteristic black hair, and Theon Greyjoy by exclusion. Jaime at that tugged her to turn around, mumbling something about it being late and that they should take their time to get ready for the feast after glaring at the back of Robb's head intensely enough that the boy was turned away from his friends to watch them leave with a scowl.

"She does have a beautiful behind" He heard Theon whisper, earning him a laugh and a nudge from Robb.

* * *

 **This has been one of my favorite chapters since the beginning, even editing it was easy because of how happy I was with it :D**

 **Bels**


	6. Arrangements

**I own nothing**

 **Nothing**

 **Nothiiiiiiing**

 **But my own shiiiit**

 **(RIP queen Whitney I'm so sorry if this was disrespectful to your ghost, ily).**

 **For reference, if any of you need it, google said the actors for Robb and Jaime are, respectively, 5'10-ish and 6'2-ish, while Marina is (of course in my head since she's not a person that exists in this material world) 5'1, so she's bajita and I relate and she's cute, I don't see a lot of tiny characters out there like myself so why not.**

 **God, I forgot this one was so long. Eh, worth it.**

* * *

Robb

"My Lord, your father requests your presence in his study" A male servant said, drawing his attention away from Tony's small speech about his last conquest in the new land, Robb excusing himself and walking to his father calmly. It was common of Lord Stark to teach his son himself how to rule in his own way - to prepare him for his future as Lord of Winterfell, and with the King's arrival, he had imagined that to be the case.

Such idea was shattered by the one Jaime Lannister who manned the door to his father's study. The Kingslayer stood a bit over two inches taller than him, looking down with a scowl, but opening the door anyway to reveal his father standing by the table, while the unexpected king sat on his place with a glass of wine.

"Robb, close the door" He heard his father say in a gentle tone; the one he used when he knew something would upset one of his children. Robb did as he was told, closing the door behind him and sitting by a nearing sofa, his father sitting beside him, facing the ground.

"You have come of age, haven't you boy?" The king asked gruffly, receiving a 'yes your grace' from him. "Your father tells me you are responsible and strong. Have you ever had a woman?"

Robb did not see what was the relevance of this question, and if it was not the king, he would've chosen not to answer in front of his father, but he gave a sheepish nod of his head, doing his best not to show how nervous he was to be in the presence of the mighty King Robert Baratheon.

Unlike the stories of the tall, trim and strong warrior his father told him, the man standing before him seemed nearly domesticated, having gained weight, a full, coarse beard to hide his double chin and already having a glass of wine in his hand, his voice gruff.

"Good, then you'll know how to keep her" He chuckled. "Feisty little one, she reminds me of your aunt Lyanna sometimes. Wild, with an independent streak, but beautiful in a completely different way. I would like you to marry Lady Martell. It will all be arranged to happen next moon, while we are still here" The king said proudly, leaving the boy awestruck.

His face went stoic, but he quickly recomposed and provided one last "It will be a pleasure, your Grace" before the King chuckled, agreed and left the room. Robb was so lost in thought he did not register the King's firm handshake before he walked out, the envious glare that the kingslayer turned to him with, or his father's supporting hand on his shoulder. He managed to snap out of a daze when his mother - whose presence in the room he had not noticed beforehand - crouched before him, grabbing his cheeks gently and murmuring his name softly, but sternly.

"Mother?" He said, looking in confusion into her worried eyes.

"If you do not wish to marry her, you won't have to" She said stubbornly.

"Cat, Robert himself commanded this union, we cannot go against our king" Lord Stark said softly.

"I will marry her" Robb said before his mother could start a fight. "It is my duty, I have been aware of such since my birth. I just did not expect it to be so soon".

"The king said he would rather not tell her now, he wants the confirmation of the Martells first, since they still have a fragile relationship with the crown" his father reasoned, making Robb nod, although he disagreed. Keeping her own wedding a secret seemed low for a king to do to a girl. Lady Stark combed through his curly, tousled hair before he stood.

"She seems like a good enough match. And she is quite beautiful, too" His mother spoke again.

"Yes she is, I have no complaints about that, but if she is anything like Tony, she will be far too different from us in every aspect. He said they do not have arranged marriages where he is from. What if she does not wish to marry me?"

"She will have no choice on the matter either, Robb. Even if she is in the king's good graces" His mother explained, Robb nodding again before his mother walked him out.

"Now go. Prepare for the feast, look your best and make a good impression. I will discover more about her if I can".

And so they went about, the Stark heir only changing into more formal clothes due to the bath he had taken that morning, and making sure he looked decent enough for the honorary princess of Dorne.

…

Arya

"Is it true that you're marrying the Dornish Princess?" She asked excitedly to Robb, who simply tore his eyes away from Jon and their current conversation and looked at the girl with wide eyes in surprise, making her grin. "Bran told me he heard a maid who had heard the king talking to father when he was climbing. Is it really true?" She repeated, raising a tired sigh from her older brother.

"Yes, it is true" He answered, sitting between Arya, Bran and Rickon now, the five of them having been ready before everyone else.

"How can you marry her if you do not know her?" Rickon asked, Sansa having just come out of her room into the hall and overhearing the conversation along with her mother, who gave Robb a gentle smile before answering.

"It is not uncommon to marry people who you do not know, Rickon" her mother explained.

"But you knew father, and you did come to love him, did you not?"

"Yes I did, child. I was lucky, it is not always that people meet their betrothed before the wedding, and even less likely that they are to fall in love as me and your father have".

"Will Robb ever fall in love with her?" Arya asked out of curiosity, Sansa's letting out an excited gasp. At that moment they all looked to Robb, expecting an answer from the boy who stumbled upon an answer.

"Maybe they will fall in love tonight while they are dancing. I doubt she will look no less than beautiful, like it is worthy of a princess. And after they marry, she will have beautiful babies that will look like Robb" Sansa daydreamed out loud, earning a small laugh from her mother. Arya showed a look of wonder as well, but not for the words of her older sister.

"I wonder if their babes will be fighters, like her and Robb" she said, looking at her older brother with a smile, to have her hair ruffled by her older brother.

"She is a princess, Arya. A Martell" Sansa rectified.

"No, she was not born a Martell. She is like Tony, and the Martells took her in. Even if she was a Martell, they are sand snakes"

"Then she is a beauty, but a funny girl" Sansa said in displeasure. "I have heard Tony's stories about the women back in his land, and they are not pretty stories. I hear they are all looser women" She said, raising a questioning furrow of her brows to her mother.

"He never said they were looser women, Sansa. They just hold them to different standards there" Jon corrected, earning a smile of agreement from Robb. "I could ask Meera, if you'd like" he whispered to Robb, whom gave him a thankful look, to which Jon responded with a nod as he got up and walked to her room.

"I want to meet her. When you go escort her, can I come?" Arya asked Robb, who laughed slightly and nodded before being stopped by his mother.

"Now dear, they must have time to get acquainted. Robb must make a good first impression. By blood or not, the girl is still a powerful alliance to have".

…

Mari

Meera had been humming all day. She had been humming while Mari bathed, she helped her dry her hair while humming, put on her short shift while humming and she watched in wonder as Marina now lined her upper eyelids and worked on her makeup, while still fucking humming. It didn't took that long after that before Mari snapped and decided to ask.

"Meera?" she asked, the older girl answering with a questioning hum. "Why the fuck are you humming so much?"

"What? I'm not humming" She said innocently, the small girl turning to her with an incredulous look, earning a giggle. "Alright, alright. Two words: Jon Snow" She said, Mari gasping as the two chatted.

"What about you? How has Ser Jaime been?" She taunted, Mari simply sighing before checking herself in the mirror again as she waited for her hair to dry so that she could cover the short white shift with the beautiful, warm red dress Meera had made, in the style of the dress she had meant to wear on her prom later that year back home, although suited for the cold.

"Why does everyone think there's something going on between us?" Mari asked, sighing when she got a pointed look from Meera. "Still treating me like a little sister. Honestly, it's fine, I don't care, but-"

"Of course you care" Meera interjected, the girl turning to her with a glare.

"But… I just don't want him to have the same fate as he would've. Not him, not the Starks, not any of them" She said, sighing deeply as she attempted to put her hair - one that had taken hours of Meera's advances to curl without an iron after waiting the long time it took for it to dry at least halfway - up in a braided bun, the ringlets of her long fringe framing her face. The look was mainly held by a braid of one lock of her hair, since it would usually take an insane amount of bobby pins to hold it. She finished by tinting her lips a light red with the mixture of shipped coconut oil from Essos and tints from berries.

"You should really cut your hair, you know. In no time it will start getting into your arse when you wipe" Meera retorted. She turned to the bed laughing, to see the taller girl dressing up in a beautiful lavender dress of lysene style, the free chiffon surrounding her figure and staying in the air before falling gracefully to rest at her feet.

"No way. It's on my waist, I'll be fine" Mari answered, smiling at her friend and continuing, her voice now softer "You look beautiful, Meera. Won't you be cold, though? It is a summer dress after all. If I didn't care about my looks so much I would be going to this feast covered in the bed sheets, blankets and furs. This is the coldest I could ever possibly take" She said, earning a laugh from the older girl.

…

Meera

"I'll be alright. The cold never bothered me" She shrugged.

"Ok then, Elsa". Mari had just started putting on the dress when a knock came to her door, the girl's eyes widening before she ran to stand near the bath, hiding in the corner of the room and having a whisper war with Meera, before the girl answered the door, surprised to see the boy she wanted to see the most nervously in the other side.

"My lady. My I come in?" Jon asked, and Meera heard a small squeal from her friend.

"Uh yes, of course" She said, smiling widely and opening the door wider so that he could come in.

"I apologize for bothering you like this, but I was wondering if we could.. Talk? Of course that if you are busy getting ready - not that you do not look ready, you look beautiful - but I" He ran a hand through his hair nervously before realizing he was not supposed to ruin it, and trying to tame the curls back into place. His awkward stammering was interrupted by Marina's voice, as she called for Meera in a sing-song, almost teasing tone, resulting in the maid excusing herself before walking to the bathtub behind the screen.

"What?" She whispered sharply, earning a giggle from her lady.

"Someone's getting all awkward around you" She joked, Meera's straight, slightly annoyed face only making her giggle and turn around. "Can you lace me up so I can leave you two alone?" And so she did, with a sigh, before allowing the girl to pull on her heeled shoes, custom made back in Dorne so she would have plenty and just in the style she had reported them to wear back in her home country, before getting back from behind the curtain to greet a surprised Jon with a wide smile. "Hey Jon" she said, winking at Meera and mouthing for her to enjoy her "hot tea" before leaving them be.

"I apologize for her, she can be quite…" Meera trailed off after leaving her friend with a smile and a shake of her head.

"Different?" He asked, still standing awkwardly beside the bed when Meera sat. It made her a bit upset when his warm gaze was directed back to the floor, as if he was ashamed to look at her, but she agreed nonetheless.

"I suppose so, but she is quite fun to be around, and easy to get used to. Did you come to ask for anything?"

"Yes, yes of course I…" He trailed of, sighing before Meera scooted over and patted the bed for him to sit, watching him look down at her dress, gulp and sit on the bench by the dressing table. "Are you good at keeping secrets?" He asked, resulting in her furrowing her brows slightly at him before answering with a nod. She waited a few seconds before he started. "Lady Martell is to marry Robb. By order of the king, and-"

"Why is it a secret? She mustn't know? It is her life and wedding! How am I supposed to keep it a secret from her?"

"The king said it would be best, for now. To give them a chance to meet and make her feel less… trapped. At least, trapped in a marriage that she could possibly want. I believe he hopes that they will fall for each other in the next month or so"

"Yes, with her temper, perhaps it is best…" Meera thought out loud, before looking back at him. "And why are you telling me this?"

"Robb does not know her, not anything about her besides her beauty and origin. I was hoping you could help us"

"Us? Why did he not come himself?" She asked, her tone rising slightly before there was a knock on the door, and she stood with a huff to answer.

"Hello, I am looking for Lady Martell?" The visitor said, Meera looking back at Jon with a questioning look before he stood.

"Robb"

"Jon" He greeted, his tone slightly questioning as he looked between the two. "Is she still preparing?"

"I am afraid she has already left, my lord"

"Oh, with whom, may I ask?" Meera saw that the young lord seemed as confused about the girl as she was at first.

"On her own. She wanted to give us the privacy to talk. Would you like to come in? You were the subject of this conversation" Meera said, knowing her tone could be seen as insolent by some, but not caring at the moment as she looked over Robb's every feature, trying to get a glimpse of whom he was. Varys had not chosen her for nothing, after all. Meera was incredibly good at reading people, almost supernaturally so - a gift the Spider prized very much.

"Yes, of course" He said, giving Jon a surprised look before walking into the room, leaving the flowers that Rickon had picked earlier by her dressing table, the gesture making the girl smile.

"Let us get to talking about my lady behind her back then, shall we?"

…

Mari

Her heels had been clicking on the stone floor for quite some time now as she tried to find her way to the dining hall. Or Jaime's room. Or the outside. To be completely honest, she did not know where she wanted to go, and for a moment she cursed this land for not having the signs she had gotten so used to seeing in malls.

"You seem lost" She heard, the sudden interruption making her jump and let out a small gasp. As she turned swiftly, she was met with Arya Stark, the gasp leaving her body now in a relieved breath.

"Sweet baby Jesus. You should not sneak up on people like that!" She grunted, earning a smile and an apologetic look from Arya.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, princess Martell"

"I'm not a princess, Arya" She smirked, walking closer to the girl as she started to walk them back outside.

"I know. You're different, you're not like Sansa"

"No I'm not. I'm more like… Rickon, I'd say" She joked, making Arya laughed.

"I think you're more like Robb; strong and kind" She hinted. "Rickon is too much of a babe still"

"Well, so am I. I can act like a child sometimes, running around rooms and all"

"But you fight too, right?" She questioned in wonder, earning a smile from the older girl.

"Yes Arya, I'm a grown woman; and everyone of us should know how to fight at least some" She said, much to the young girl's amusement.

"I believe that too, but all some women want to do is marry and have babies" She condescended, earning a laugh from Mari.

"What is so wrong with that? It takes great strength to be a mother too, you know. I never did appreciate mine as I should have done" She said, her tone turning slightly sad.

"Is she dead?" Arya asked, stopping to look up at her. The young girl was only a few inches smaller than Marina due to the heels, which somehow made the two closer together when talking.

"I sure hope not, but I don't know where she is. I am not exactly sure how I got here either but I hope she is safe back home"

"You're like Tony, right?" She asked, explaining as soon as she saw the question in Marina's eyes. "He's from this place called New Ork. He says he misses it a lot, and his family, and he has dark skin too, but darker than yours" She said, earning a laugh from Marina.

"I think you mean New York, and I've never been there. I'm from Puerto Rico, it's quite a long trip and you would probably need a boat, since it's an island".

"You come from an island?" Arya asked, now more excited than before. "What do you do when winter comes? Does the ocean freeze over?"

"Oh honey the ocean never freezes. It is always fluid and filled with life, and we have no winter where I'm from, it's too far south for the cold to get to us".

"Even more than Dorne?"

"Even more than Dorne" She repeated with a smile, Arya realizing they had been walking aimlessly through the castle and found their way back to her room.

…

Jon

"... but you will need to be careful, she could take you out with a swing of her fist or a swing of her hips. Either way, she knows what she wants and exactly how to get to it"

Her lips were moving, and he could see that Robb was listening attentively about his future wife with an awestruck look to his face, but Jon paid less attention to their conversation and more attention to her; the way her thin yet sculpted lips moved with every accented word, her gleaming eyes as she talked about her friend, the dimple in her right cheek that was more prominent than that on the left when she smiled, how her soft hair flew by along with her dress if ever she moved… perfect, he thought, and she kept complimenting the girl so passionately than none of the people heard her open the door.

…

Mari

"If fun could be embodied in a person, Mari would be it" She heard her friend say as she opened the door. She was surprised to see not only Jon, but Robb Stark in the room as well when she opened the door, but since none of them seemed to acknowledge her presence, she spoke up.

"Why thank you, Meera. How sweet of you" She said, Arya giggling beside her as the boys scrambled to get up, Jon's eyes wandering down in embarrassment while Robb stared wide-eyed and open mouthed at the girl, who looked him up and down with a bite of her lip before turning to Meera with her signature raised eyebrow.

"Lord Stark came by to escort you, and since you were not here we decided to sit down and diss you while you were gone. I even told them that-"

"Atreve-te pa'que tu vea" She threatened, Meera raising her arms in surrender at the threat before hopping to the girl, dragging her to the mirror and sighing.

"And you already ruined your hair" Meera was proud of herself for lying so smoothly, and Jon still shocked at the girl as she tried to divert Marina's attention, the girl simply rolling her eyes and looking back at the eldest Stark.

"Robb? Do I look good?"

"You look.. Um you look beautiful, my lady" he said, giving her a bright white smile and earning one back from her before she looked down and smiled, murmuring quietly so that only Meera would hear.

"I didn't expect him to be so hot".

"Robb came to escort you to the feast. Would you like to leave your hair like that or can I fix it?" She said, referring to the few strands that had come loose and now framed her face.

"I'm ok like this. I look beautiful, after all" She teased, winking at Robb.

"Looks like I'll be the one escorting you out of the room" she said, offering her hand, to which he swiftly took as he seemed to recompose himself. Smiling at her and watching her blush before his eyes had seemed to do the trick to bring his confidence back.

The castle was surprisingly warm compared to the outside, and the hall would be full, so she had seen no need to wear a coat. In a few seconds, she was opening the door and smiling up at Robb."Oh, I almost forgot. Hi, I'm Mari" She corrected as she pulled her hand free from his grasp, offering for him to shake, the boy taking it in his hand and lowering his body nearly enough to be kneeling due to their height difference, as he kissed it, smiling up at her and watching her tan skin taint a faint red.

"Robb. It is a pleasure to meet you, my Lady"

"Not to disappoint, but I'm no Lady" She corrected, her eyes lingering when met with his blue orbs.

…

Robb

Her eyes were a stunning shade, and she seemed more beautiful every time he got closer to her. Robb was doing his very best not to look down her figure, keeping his eyes on hers like a proper gentleman should, and he could honestly say that he had never seen any more beautiful than his future bride. At that moment, he let his eyes sweep her features, travel through her slightly curled hair held up by a golden tie of sorts and a braid, her thick eyelashes framing the seductive eyes he had already grown to adore, to her plump, reddened lips that looked so soft he had to hold himself back from kissing them right now. He caught sight of a circular pattern seemingly inked onto her skin, resembling an intricate flower, he supposed.

Her strong facial features somehow still kept her delicate, but gave her a certain edge. He let his eyes wander over her body once they started walking to the hall, the soft curve of her breasts clad in the fitted neckline of the dress' bodice, lined with fur that continued to the off the shoulder, long sleeves, framing her figure so well he could see every fall and rise of her chest, continuing to the curve of her waist. Where most would have a shift, by her bare leg poking out of a slit of the dress, he assumed she was not, only making his dizziness increase. Her golden necklaces fell over her chest, and the big earrings she wore - seeming to come from the free cities - made her glow even more.

His thoughts were broken by her voice, and he realized it had only been a few seconds since he started staring, the idea of him acting like Theon for even those seconds repulsing him enough to snap out of it. "What? I'm sorry, I was lost in thought" He said, making her chuckle before repeating.

"What made you come escort me?" She asked, looking up into his eyes.

"It is always good to be polite to our guests, is it not?" He said, smiling down and internally patting himself in the back as he heard her breath hitch slightly.

"Yes, I suppose" She said, her suspicious eyes looking into his. "Is that why you were staring at me and undressing me with those pretty blue eyes?" She inquired, the blush now rising to his cheeks as he cursed himself for even looking. She seemed to find the situation amusing, by the giggle she let out. "I don't mind. It's flattering when the stares come from someone you do want to impress".

"And you wish to impress me? Why is that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She said, her suggestive tone having dropped from its gentler pitch, making the butterflies in his stomach turn into a fire, before she looked away, bit her lip and continued walking along, Robb holding back a groan.

The long halls had been filled with conversation as he asked her about her home and Dorne, and she returned the questions not only with answers, but with her own curious and sometimes even strange questions, her curiosity, passion and laughter slowly easing its way into his own actions. This is not so hard, he thought to himself, already being able to imagine them talking for hours.

They were suddenly stopped near the door of the hall by the man he had already come to hate.

"Princess Marina. What are you… doing here?" the Kingslayer asked, his eyes running down her body, stopping at the marking on her shoulder before pausing at her breasts, and making Robb's jealousy start to rise. His eyes then turned to Robb, and how their arms were intertwined, when she decided to answer.

"Robb was being kind to escort me to the feast. This place is so big it would take me forever to find my way to the ballroom" She explained, smiling up to the boy, whose eyes were set on Jaime, making her expression fall slightly.

"I see" He answered tensely, giving Robb a nod of acknowledgement before turning back to her, looking her up and down once more. "You will be cold in that dress. Come, I can take you back to your room to change" he offered, his hard eyes set on Robb.

"I can take her" He said coldly, to which the girl huffed, slipping her arm away from Robb's and finally gaining his attention.

"Oh fuck no. I waxed my legs for this, ok? It was very hard to just home-make it here when the ingredients are not as easily available, I am not going back just because you two feel like having a pissing contest about what rules I should apply over my body. And by the way, it's lined with fur exactly so I won't be cold" She said with determination, astonishing Robb and making Jaime smirk at her ways. "I'll walk alone to the feast, thank you very much for taking me here, Robb" she said, turning around and walking inside before he could say anything, leaving the two to discuss between themselves.

"She will eat you alive, Stark" the Kingslayer chuckled, raising a glare from Robb, who stayed quiet still trying to process his words as the Lannister walked inside, before following in himself, searching for his betrothed.

* * *

 **Feast comes next (I'm sorry for taking forever to post, guys)**

 **I hope you're liking it so far :) This one was extra long.**


	7. The Night of Nights

**Another updated one! This is the last before I go back to actually writing :).**

 **I own nothing but my own ideas.**

 _Cercei_

She was quite pleased with herself. As usual, one of her plans had worked out without much effort on her part, and she thanked her father for teaching her how to bend people to her will, which she had become quite good at doing. She had seen an opportunity when overhearing a soldier's comment about the Stark boy on camp back in Moat Cailin, and had been simply waiting for an opportunity to propose a wedding to Robert. With his love for feasts, Ned Stark and the bitch herself, it was hard for him to say no to her suggestion when it was subtle enough to make him believe the idea had been his own, so when she saw the girl being accompanied by the Stark boy to the feast, she did no effort to contain the smirk that rose to her lips. That is, until she saw her brother come between them.

"He is quite handsome, your son. It will be a good marriage" She comforted Caitlyn, her mind only on how the marriage would keep the beast up north to freeze to her death, while Jaime would be back in her arms, and hers alone.

"Yes, My Queen. Robb is simply nervous since she is so.. Different". Cercei did not miss the look of confusion and disdain form in the woman's face as she took notice of the whore's dress the girl chose to wear to the feast, with her exposed shoulders, neck and leg being scandalous enough for all to look. If Cercei's smirk could've gotten any wider, it would've at that moment. All eyes were on the foreign girl - some with admiration, others lust and others, most intensely the Tully eyes of the woman beside her, in disapproval.

"Robb, or you?" Cersei asked, diverting her eyes to Caitlyn in understanding. "It is quite hard to watch them break away from us, I understand. I suppose her customs are foreign, yes, but she will make a beautiful wife, provide him with plenty of sons"

"I suppose" The older woman said, smiling warmly at the Queen.

…

 _Caitlyn_

She could not believe her eyes when she saw the dress of the girl, and specially how it revealed more skin than any chemise she owned herself. The bare legs, shoulders and neck, exposed by her pulled back back hair did not leave much of her modesty even when disregarding the tightness of the dress that revealed every bump and curve in her body, and made the Lady wonder if she was truly as good of a match as the king had led her to believe. Robb's eyes kept looking at her with admiration, only working to enrage Caitlyn farther. She knew the Dornish were more comfortable and less modest with their bodies, but the statement she wore to cover her torso seemed just like that: A cry for the attention of men.

She supposed the over-valorization of one's body was to take away from the focus onto their minds and the purity of their hearts, and once again she worried for the sake of her son.

…

 _Jaime_

He was not ashamed to admit his jealousy, and although he had grown fond of the girl, he couldn't say the jealousness was for love yet. The way the Stark boy looked at her, _the way she looked at him_ , everything felt like too much, almost as if someone was waving a shiny toy in front of his face only to take it away with a smile, and his anger continued rising. It took him some time to realize it, but she was - even if subconsciously - wearing Lannister colors. The gold of her jewels contrasted marvellously against her tanned skin, and the dark crimson of her dress would make her look regal enough even without the hair style and the golden band securing it. She was nothing short of beautiful, and could very well be confused for a Queen. He watched her drink and laugh with the boy, entertaining the Stark children that sat on the table with twinkles in their eyes, not noticing the smaller figure approaching him.

"Enjoying the view, brother?" He heard Tyrion's voice, being slightly alarmed before he turned, pretending he had simply been manning the door for absolutely no reason. "May be talk alone?" Tyrion asked, earning a curt nod before he led the way to the outside, waiting quietly for his brother to express the pressing issue he was already aware of.

Before Tyrion could start, Jaime found himself spitting out the words. "I am aware"

"Are you really?" Tyrion questioned, not seeing the necessity in stressing the issue at hand. "Nevermind that she is young, I have enjoyed my fair share of young women, but Jaime, what are you doing? This cannot end well for either. You-"

"Cannot take a wife, being from the kingsguard. I don't plan on taking her as a bride, I know. It does not mean I cannot enjoy women altogether, many men in my position do"

"And do you simply plan to enjoy her then? She is not a whore" He asked, Jaime's silence being enough of an answer. "If father knew, If dearest Cercei knew…" The youngest trailed off, watching intently as Jaime ran a hand over his face with a heavy huff of air, nodding once more.

"I know, I know" He said quietly, before beginning again, his tone back to its usual strong, yet nonchalant one. "She is betrothed to the Stark boy, by request of the king" He watched his brother's mouth open in shock before closing quickly, his silence being enough to replace what Jaime could not admit aloud. "He is a green boy who will not be able to take proper care of her. If she wants me too I will not stop it"

"Because it is common for women to approach men?" Tyrion joked.

"She is not common, brother".

"You have fallen for her" Tyrion acknowledged, earning a sigh and a roll of his eyes from his older brother. "Well, then I believe you must do something about it. After all, if she belongs to the Stark boy she will be cooped up North where none of us can even see her".

"You mean I should take her for myself?"

"I mean that you should prioritize her happiness over yours, Jaime. Do not let her get trapped in an unhappy marriage like our sister. She is much stronger than Cercei, but less experienced; god knows what would happen to the boy, and to her. I do not believe she will be happy here unless she falls for him. She is a summer child, after all, and 'Winter Is Coming'" He mocked. "She thought Riverrun was cold, in this long summer. I do not see her surviving winter stuck here" He said raising a small laugh from Jaime, who nodded with a small smile.

"I'm not in love with the girl, I simply do not wish to see her married to a grim Stark. It is not so bad to care about her" Jaime finished.

…

 _Mari_

Robb had caught up with her quickly after she entered the feast, seeing that Arya had found her way back to it and was already looking in admiration at her.

"Did you get your dress caught somewhere? There's a rip"

"It's intentional, so I can dance at least some. This corset thing is crushing _everything,_ god only knows how I'd be able to walk without the slit"

"That is smart. That way you don't have to stumble upon your skirts"

"That is the best part. Not falling on my face, I mean" He heard her whisper loudly, making Arya smile.

"I see you two are getting along quite nicely" He said, making her turn around to look at Robb with a raised brow. "I apologize for my behavior earlier. It is just so uncommon for women to show much skin, especially this far North" He said, his eyes deviating towards her body earning a smirk that he did not notice.

"It's ok, the important thing is that you apologized. And that you don't do it again. Also, I'll be taking your sister as my own as revenge. She is now a little adopted Martell spawn like me" She smiled at Arya, who seemed excited and gave Robb a knowing smile, the boy responding before escorting her to their seats, with Theon to his left and her to his right. They were about to sit when she leaned into his shoulder, whispering in a menacing tone.

"I get it, you two were having a pissing contest. Do it again and I _will_ make your life miserable. I'm a grown woman and you don't need to boss me like a child"

"I... apologize if I offended you, My Lady" He said, surprise in his eyes as he looked at her before shifting his eyes to his lap, making her lift his chin up with a finger and smile, leaning closer and whispering.

"Mari"

"Mari" He repeated huskily, testing out the name in his tongue and noticing the subtle shift in her eyes, before she seemed to shake it off, smiling and pulling away enough for them to have an appropriate conversation..

"Stop apologizing and just be yourself, you can be comfortable around me, I don't bite" She joked, giggling and sitting down properly as he pulled the chair for her. "If anything, you are the wolf, I should be afraid of you biting and not the other way around".

"Indeed you should" He said, his sudden surge of confidence and the small smirk on his face making her bite her lip, her eyes now darker when looking back into his. A brown as rich as the trees of the wolfswood, he noted. Their attention was diverted by the attentive black eyes staring at them, letting out a scoff and breaking off the sexual tension that had started to build.

"Get a room"

"Who are you?" She asked, turning to the stranger and taking in his buzz cut and dark skin, her face showing even more confusion.

"Tony. I imagine you're Marina, the chick from PR" He said, making her eyes widen and a big smile break into her face.

"The New Yorker?" She said in a failed New York accent, which made him throw his head back in laughter, a pout replacing the smile on her lips. "What's so funny?"

.

"Oh sugar you can't impersonate me for shit" He said, the glare he was earning from Robb making him quiet down on the spot. "Sorry" he said, making her furrow her brows before noticing the look and laughing.

"Robb it's ok, he means no harm, that's just how we talk"

"He's being crass with you. He should show you some respect" He asserted, his Stark grimness seeping through every word and making her smile widely, leaving a kiss on his cheek and seeming to surprise him enough to break his glare.

"It's ok, I'm always crass too, I curse like a sailor".

"Mother says ladies should not cuss"

"Well. then think of me as a dude" She said, the word making him look back at Tony in recognition as the foreigners smiled at each other, Tony lifting his hand for a high-five as she slapped it back.

"My kind of girl"

"God, you're the lamest. Where did you come from? The 80's? High fiving?".

…

 _Robb_

They were both so strange. He had not yet been used to Tony, even if they had become friends in the fortnight he had been here from Riverrun, and now he saw some of the qualities and flaws he had seen in him appear in his future wife. His whole life, he had been taught that ladies were not supposed to do this or that, and always imagined his wife to be a shy, coy girl, but Marina was nothing short of strange to him.

Aside from not seeming to have an ounce of shyness in her body, he felt as if all the flaws women tried so hard to conceal came so strongly with her presence, it was almost as if all the time, he was seeing her for who she truly was, and not some archetypal idea of what women should be. It felt… real. More real than he had ever felt with anyone out there. Of course it was not necessary to be as outspoken as her to be real, but all the 'flaws' he could see seemed to be as much a part of her as her qualities, and the way she embraced them had seemed to even turn them brighter, turn them into her personality. Her handmaiden had been right, she was a walking embodiment of fun, of a ray of sunshine, of what it would feel like if he walked away from his duties to live his life free and strong as a wolf - and she was already promised to him.

He was broken from his thoughts and the conversation he had started to carry out with Theon about the girl by his comment. "Ask her to dance, you can enjoy how she moves" he suggested, making Robb roll his eyes, resulting in a laugh from Theon. "What? You could not imagine how badly I would like to be you in this moment. Enjoy your future wife".

"Theon she is not supposed to know it".

"Just ask her or I will" He challenged, Robb narrowing his eyes before turning back to her, waiting for her to finish talking, something about music, before asking.

"Would you like to dance?"

"Dance? I.. I don't know how to dance"

"Of course you do, you're a Latina, that's like your specialty" Tony insisted, smiling at her while she glared at him. If only looks could kill… "She's just shy, Robb. Go ahead, I'll be here talking to Theon".

"But.. I" She scrambled to explain, before giving up and taking Robb's hand.

"If you do not wish to dance, we don't have to"

"No no no that's not the problem, I've just never danced the way that you do here. Our dances are very… _very_ different".

At that he let out a small laugh. "Would you look at that, are you embarrassed? I did not know you had it in you… Mar" He teased, taking only a glimpse at the necklace before uttering the word, her eyes shining with resolve before she followed him, and as he bowed, she curtsied. "They say that all it takes for a good dancer is a great partner"

"Cocky, I see" she said, smirking back at him and joining in the dance, allowing him to lead every move, the two unaware of the prying eyes of the king, queen and Starks watching.

"Not cocky, simply confident, Mar" He teased back, earning a wide grin from her before they joined hands, the remaining resting on his shoulder and his on her waist, their bodies now swaying as the music contented for a happy ballad instead of the joyful and energetic tune.

"It means 'sea' where I'm from. Mar, I mean" She elaborated. "My name, Marina, means 'of the sea', I have always had a strong connection to it"

"I can imagine. The place you were born is an island, is it not?"

"Yes" She answered, the surprise ringing in her voice. "It's pretty much the opposite of here".

Not long after, other couples started following in the dance, and Robb could see a small smile at his mother's face by the sight, only giving him the motivation to take things a step forward as he twirled her and lifted her up in the air, earning a loud laugh from the girl. For any outsider looking, it was as if hey were another couple in love already, and it was enough to bring a smile to even Ned Stark's face.

…

 _Meera_

"Jon..."

"You must go enjoy the feast, Meera" he demanded, a tone that was met with her own.

"Not without you. If Lady Stark does not want you there, I will not go"

"And do what? You will freeze out here in this dress"

"I am not bothered by the cold. I am bothered by you punishing yourself over being a bastard, it is not right"

"Maybe not in Lys" he said bitterly, earning a scowl from her.

"Fine. You may be difficult, but I am still staying by your side" She fumed.

Ever since he had been told of Lady Stark's policy, he had been irritable, and sticking with him had become a rather arduous task. Meera had half a mind to listen and go inside after ten minutes passed without a word from either, Jon continuing to hack and hammer at the dummy, before he was stopped by his uncle, the interruption being soon followed by Lord Tyrion, who already seemed to have had one too many drinks.

"He is right" She said seconds after he left. "And you may not care to have noticed, but you are not the only bastard. My father was of noble birth and left my mother on her own as soon as he found out she was with child, and she had managed to get just enough money to travel to Westeros. You're not alone, Jon. Not if you let other people help you" She sighed, having just turned around before he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, her figure crashing against his chest.

The simple words he said would've held no meaning if not for his following actions. The utterance of a low apology seemed to come at its own price, and before she knew, his lips had crashed into hers in a passionate kiss, to which she responded without over a second of hesitation, her hands tangling into his dark curls as she pulled his body closer, relishing in the warmth of having him near.

 **GAAAAAH TRUE LOVE, KISS, BLAH BLAH**

 **Leave a review :)**

 **Bela**


	8. Afterparty

**Thank you soooo much for the reviews you guys! I am so glad you are enjoying the story! I tried to reply to the reviews on private messages but I'll leave the reply for the guest that was so kind to leave a review, here, since you can't PM a guest. The ideas are so amazing and I appreciate the comments and that you're liking the story.**

 **Guest - That's actually something I hadn't thought about. In my view of Mari, she doesn't really know, for the sake of convenience, but twists and turns will happen and that idea sounds SO cool. I'm so glad you like Meera! I love her too. I wanted to make the secondary characters in the story more believable still and play a little with more modern concepts, so Tony will have a bigger role as well as the guy living with the Tyrells (who I love even if I haven't written him yet). If I manage to fit the idea with the plot I'm planning, it's gonna be great!**

 **Here comes another one!**

* * *

Jaime

He did not feel the presence behind him until it was too late and his knees were bent from behind, making him get lowered by about a head, and it took a lot of effort for him not to fall to his knees. His eyes were covered by nimble hands, and his right hand flew to his left side in search of his sword, before he heard a familiar giggle.

"Guess who it is?"

"You do realize I could've killed you in an instant, do you not?" He said, his annoyed tone not betraying the slight playfulness present.

"Aww you think you can kill me so easily! Que preciosidad!" She cooed, making him roll his eyes behind her hands before shrugging her off, their height difference making it easier for him to do so, turning to her with an intimidating look to see his sword on her hands. He turned to his left side to confirm it was indeed his, raising a smile to her lips. "I told you so, did I not?" She said, mocking his accent and making him huff before snatching the sword away from her, careful not to injure her naked hands.

"Do not play with things you do not know how to control"

"Jaime I'm not a little girl" She growled lightly, her eyes glaring at him playfully.

"You sure fight like one" He countered, the look in her eyes only intensifying.

"No I don't! Swords are heavy. It's not my fault I'm shit at holding some heavy metal stick when I've never been trained. You've had it all your life"

"Maybe you did not have the right teacher" He mocked, making her scoff and roll her eyes. "You-"

"Yes I know, it's rude to roll your eyes. I can't help it, you're just that annoying" she said, before biting her lip to hold back a smile, grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the hall and into the cold air of Winterfell. "Come on, you've been standing around like an idiot the whole feast, sulking because you couldn't spend time with your favorite person in the world".

"Who talks like that?" He asked rhetorically, the small smile on his lips staying nonetheless, only increasing as he heard her gasp a small laugh, as the object of their attention was directed from each other to the kissing couple in front of them. A maid and a bastard, he wondered how he had not seen that coming yet.

The two did not seem to hear the commotion, and if they did, they did not care enough to break their kiss. It was a few seconds later that Mari took off running again, dragging him by the hand to take shelter behind a near wall before she started laughing, the sweet melodic sound carrying his own laughter with it.

"I can't believe they were making out, holy shit! Just kissing! Out of nowhere! For free!" she said, her eyes gleaming bright as she looked at him, to notice the large smile on his face, which quickly morphed into a smirk as he tried to disguise it. There was no other sound in the world that he preferred over her laughter. "What?"

"Did it really come as a surprise for you?"

"I mean.. Yeah" she said, still catching her breath from the running and laughing, some strands of her hair having fallen from the intricate updo of curls they had been part of. He wanted nothing more than to push her against the wall there and then. "As far as I know, Meera's not one to be giving kisses away to anyone, and I certainly didn't expect Jon freaking Snow to do the same either."

"Well, when two people love each other very much, they-"

"Ew Jaime, I know about sex stop freaking me out" she said, dismissing his slow and sweeter voice, as he tried to make it motherly. "Oh god my mom explained it to me that same way, I can't believe this tradition kept itself".

"Wait, when you say you know about it, do you mean…" He trailed off, waiting for her to pick up on it, only receiving a raised eyebrow in return, making him sigh. "Do you know so by personal-"

"I'm not discussing that with you" She said, shutting him up abruptly.

"Then why did you-"

"Jaime it's not your business to be asking a lady who she does or doesn't do in her spare time" She said, raising a sigh from him, before stretching out her hand. "I brought you here for a reason, you know"

"Oh? I don't suppose it is to perform such spare time activities, is it?" He joked, making her shake her head and smile up at him, her eyes diverting back up from their connected hands.

"If your sister saw this, she would kill me. I wanted to dance with you, and talk, even if a little bit".

"Dance as you did with the Stark boy?" He said, the subtle anger in his tone making her frown.

"Dance as I want to do with you, if you stop being a dick" She said, laying his left hand on the small of her back, doing her best to reach his shoulder and muttering some curses about how tall he was, before she got closer and started swaying to the sound of the wind on trees, barking hounds and the soft mixture of music and laughter coming from the adjacent hall. He did not need to ask her how they would dance with no music, or question her when she got closer and laid her head on his chest. He knew they would make their own music if need be.

…

Robb

"Enjoying your wife?" Theon said as Robb sat back down, a large smile on his face. They had parted not long ago, with a curtsy and a smile on her part before she walked out to get some air away from the stench of sweat and alcohol, according to her. Robb sighed deeply in annoyance at Theon's provocative comment, before deciding to answer.

"Yes, Theon, she is wonderful"

"So I have seen. Her body is spectacular to look at. If the king decides not to marry you two, do you think we could-"

"She's mine, Theon" Robb snapped, getting his cup of ale and chugging it in less than a few seconds.

"Woah ok, I see someone's got their panties in a knot" Tony said, lifting his hands up in surrender after Robb's sharp glare was delivered to him, the younger boy relaxing with a deep breath, a smile returning to his face. "What's worse, looking jealous or crazy, am I right?" He said, his reference making him laugh while the two boys were confused around him. "It's a reference from our Queen. Marina would've got it"

"She is really lovely, is she not?" Robb said, the smile on his face making the two laugh.

"I wouldn't describe her like that but uh... Sure, she's hot" Tony said, chuckling. "Look, if there's one thing you need to know about women from where we're from, specially minorities like her, is that they're the strongest women you could ever find here. She probably has had to learn how to defend herself her whole life. She's not gonna act like a pretty little doll for you, she'll defy you and boss you around and be very honest and straightforward with her sh- her things. Also, if you cheat or let her down, she won't hesitate to destroy you".

Theon did not have to say anything. A pat in Robb's back was enough, making the boy roll his eyes and look right back into his new friend's. "I can handle her. I won't hurt her, and she won't hurt me. Equals, no?" He said, making Tony smirk in satisfaction.

"Yeah that's what I've been saying. Where is she?" He asked, Robb's eyebrows raising as he looked for her presence.

Mari

"Jaime?" she asked, his eyes deviating to hers "We should get back" she smiled, earning a smile from him as well before he nodded, pulling away and bowing to her, offering his hand and raising a laugh out of her.

"My princess"

"Oh shut it, Lion" she said, rolling her eyes but taking his hand anyways, stopping in her way back to the hall to greet Meera and Jon, who had since pulled away but were still looking at each other in silent wonder. "Hey, I thought you two-" She started, the teasing in her voice being stopped by Jaime's elbow colliding with her ribs. "Ow! Cabron de mierda!"

"Do you wish to go inside?" He interrupted, Mari's glare still on him while Meera held back her laughter.

"I am not allowed to, Ser Jaime" Jon said, the lightness previously in his face returning to his usual brooding.

"Bullshit. You're coming with me, Jon" Mari said, wrapping one of her arms around his and handing the other to Meera, making the older girl smile and follow along. The remains of the night were quite calm. It did not take long for Mar to give up her seat next to Robb so that Jon could sit, grabbing a free chair from the table filled with knights behind them to join the conversation with Meera, casually sitting on the older girl's lap and raising a few looks from the audience, which went completely ignored. The night was filled with conversation, laughter and a few drunken dances between Mari and Tyrion.

...

Robb

Her energy was contagious. He had gone to sleep that night with thoughts of her, silently thanking the king, and he was up before he knew it to visit her the following morning. He was about to knock and invite her to break fast, when he heard the singing.

'It's you, babe

And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe

And I could try to run, but it would be useless

You're to blame

Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never be the same

It's you, babe

And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe

And I could try to run, but it would be useless

You're to blame

Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never ever, ever be the same'

The type of music was strange to him, but her voice was as sweet as honey while retaining its characteristic smokiness, not like anything he had ever heard, and her accent made the words sound strange, some being even incomprehensible to him. Somehow, it made him smile nonetheless, even if he had not noticed the presence behind him.

"Dude, you're whipped" Tony said, Robb turning abruptly to look at him, his puzzled look raising laughter from Tony, until he stopped to hear.

"Ooh, Camila. I like her style". It was not much later before he knocked fervorously. "You up yet? Clearly you are. My question is, why are you still locked in your room. Come out before little wolf here starts huffing and puffing."

"I'm taller than you" Robb countered, hearing a loud laugh from the girl before she opened the door, brown leather pants clad onto her body, as well as an oversized orange blouse, with a belt tied around her waist. Her uncommon attire making him raise his eyebrows.

"Yes, this is what I'm wearing, Robb" She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I did not speak" His hands were raised in surrender, and she smirked up at the taller boy before looking back at Tony, who just shook his head and laughed.

"Where's Meera today?" He asked, earning a small smirk from Mari, who simply shrug in response.

...

Oberyn

He stormed through the water gardens, his heavy step attracting the look of the servants around him, who scurried away in fear, knowing better than to stand in the Prince's way whenever he was upset. It was not much later before he was in front of Doran, his brother looking at him with a puzzled, worried look on his face, as Oberyn's expression betrayed the intensity of his rage.

"What happened?" Doran asked, leaning forward as if he was to stand, but remaining in his chair. Oberyn did not answer, he simply threw a scroll at his brother, giving him not nearly enough time to read before he started to lash out.

"Who does Robert Baratheon think he is? Marrying her off to a Stark without our ultimate permission? She is not one of his ladies he can simply sell as a horse, she is ours, our family" Oberyn was nearly yelling at this point, his brother remaining calm and stoic until he finished reading the letter.

"He is the king, brother"

"Fuck the king. Thinking he can 'inform us' of her betrothal. I doubt she would stand for it, she would be halfway here by now if she… knew" He paused, his voice dimming down in realization. "She doesn't know" and not even a second later, he was back to his angry self. "I am going to her. Have the men prepare the horses, I will arrive within a fortnight".

Just like that, before Doran could disagree on his brother's impulsiveness, he was already storming away.

* * *

 **Review! I'm already working on the next one.**


	9. Homesick

**I miss writing so much! I'm sorry for abandoning the story, but I'm back now.**

 **I own nothing but my own ideas.**

 **For anyone looking for a good spotify playlist, look for "All Out 00s", I was listening to JoJo's "Too Little, Too Late" all night, honestly.**

 **This chapter has a lot of explanation, ok, it's a filler, idk what to tell you guys.**

 **Back to the story bbs.**

* * *

…

Robb

"Where are you taking me today, Stark?" She asked as the three of them walked down the hall.

"You'll just have to wait and see" He answered, earning a groan from her and laughing in return. They were now walking down the hall after Mari retrieved her furs, covering herself as soon as she got out of the room and sighing in annoyance.

"You're really not used to the cold, huh?" Tony asked, earning a small nod from Marina and mumbling an "It snows all the time in New York and I'm still not used to it"

"Well yeah, I'd guess not, but you're lucky you have something to lean on. Between Miami and Puerto Rico, I have no idea how this white shit works aside from what movies have taught me, which just seems way off"

"You must miss the ocean then, and the heat." Tony began.

"It's weird that I miss the water gardens and the summer sea while I'm here, but that while I was in dorne I missed my island so much"

Robb found himself thinking of other things as he walked hand in hand with the girl, Tony on her other side as they chatted away about their country. The cold weather really seemed to bother her, seeing as with every step they took further away from the castle's warmth, she clung tighter to her fur coat. He did not know how she would be able to spend winter there if the summer snows really did bother her that much, and although he told himself she would be alright, part of him was worried she would not enjoy her time in Winterfell no matter how the company was. His thoughts were broken by a short blur running towards them and stopping right in front of the princess, making her jump and let out a small scream.

"Grey Wind, to me" He called. The direwolf, not yet fully grown but already starting to get big, stared curiously at the princess while she flinched. The direwolf obeyed after a few seconds of staring, and walked to Robb who kneeled to pet him, Tony stifling a laugh.

"Are you scared of dogs?"

"No" She answered quickly, glaring at him before turning her eyes back to Grey Wind to make sure he was still with Robb and she was secure. "It's a wolf, not a dog, and although I didn't kill one myself to make this coat, someone did and I'm wearing it. What if he recognizes his friend and wants revenge? What do I do then?" The girl seemed genuinely worried, and raised a laugh from both men. "What is the joke? I didn't say anything funny"

"He won't attack you, most certainly not for wearing furs. Here" Robb said, standing back up and resting his hand on her lower back while he guided her closer to the direwolf. The girl seemed hesitant, but let him guide her anyway before lowering herself slightly, Grey Wind now sitting obediently as Robb gestured him to. He could see Marina's fear melt away slowly as she raised a careful hand to pet him, smiling as he nuzzled into her touch and sitting down on the floor. Grey Wind seemed to enjoy the gesture, laying his head on her lap as she continued to pet his head, now cooing and looking back at Robb.

"He's adorable" She whispered, her pitch much higher than usual as she smiled widely at the wolf, breathing out a "He looks just like a husky, such a beautiful boy, aren't you honey? Que preciosidad"

"He likes you, and I think he especially enjoys the attention"

The girl was now petting him with both hands, his eyes closed while she giggled slightly. "He's mine now, I'm stealing him away from you, Stark"

Robb just chuckled, kneeling down with her and petting Grey Wind as well, looking back at her and breathing out a "We can share", the two now smiling at each other, Tony long gone.

…

Marina

The two had been spending all day together, rushing around the courtyard, talking to each other about the most random things and eventually meeting up with the other Starks, who were eager to ask her questions about anything from how she was liking Winterfell to how her life was as a 'Princess of Dorne'. She couldn't get used to people calling her titles, it was so strange for her that everyone here valued titles more than names, and would often rely on those. She might be a part of the now extended Martell family, but she certainly didn't feel like a princess.

Although she didn't grow up to be exactly a tomboy or one of the boys, she was never shy or quiet, and classy wasn't exactly her thing. Sure, she had been a great fan of Disney princesses, and in the beginning of Oberyn's 'training' had tried to replicate what she had learnt from them in terms of behavior, only to have him laugh at her poor attempts and tell her to just be herself - a piece of advice she followed with great relief. However, not everyone in Westeros was as liberal as Oberyn, and as the hours she spent with the Starks and the Royal family bled into days she spent away from the Prince of Dorne, she found herself feeling more and more out of place in this world, missing her friend like crazy.

She thought back to their honest conversations, to how although she still was a handful to him, he accepted her for who she was, with all the cursing and spanish interjections and even some random song references she would belt out purposefully out of key just to get him to laugh. Marina loved Dorne as a home - it sure felt like one - and as she was walking to the Godswood with Robb now at the end of the day, she started getting lost in a memory.

"Oh my god, I love it!" She squealed in an almost childish way, running to the water gardens and stripping on her way only to her panties and bra, the garments that Oberyn had first found to be strange but now didn't seem to mind as much. She had gained back the weight she had lost while she was unconscious and now felt like herself again, having stayed in Dorne now for no longer than a week, and enjoying most of her time.

He had already told her how amazed he was at their bonding and how quickly their relationship had built, almost as if they were family - and she sure felt like a little sister to him or even one of his daughters. She had not been particularly close to Ellaria or Doran, but they seemed to have great admiration for the girl, as she did for the two. Oberyn looked back to her, laughing as she submerged her head under the water before pushing her hair back with her hands and away from her face. She looked around in wonder - the clear blue waters, the small waterfalls that seemed to connect the walls of the castle to the pools, the green palm trees and smaller bushes that surrounded her making her feel like one with the nature. The sun shined brightly on her face, giving her an almost ethereal glow before her eyes settled back on Oberyn and she smiled, sighing dreamily and laying back in the water, floating over it as she spoke.

"I could stay here forever, until my fingers became little raisins".

She was taken away from her thoughts by Robb's voice, looking back at him and catching his eyes. "I'm sorry?"

"I was just telling you that we're close. I know you do not worship the old gods in Dorne, and I'm not sure you worship the new gods, seeing as you're also a foreigner, but it's a place that is very special to me and my family, and as one of the last Godswoods in Westeros, I thought you might like to see it for yourself".

She smiled reassuringly, taking his hand and breathing out an "I'm sure it's lovely, Robb. I would never disrespect your religion or any other, my God is only one, the one I grew up believing in and my mother and grandmothers too". They were walking for not even a minute before the woods opened up and she saw it.

The sight alone left her breathless, and although she had read about it, she hadn't expected it to truly live up to her expectations. Looking at the pale weeping willow with red leaves, the black lake surrounded by soft, moss-covered ground, all she could let out was a small "Oh", and he noticed she had stopped in her tracks. While she took on the beauty of the place, the sun setting through the trees and the sky white unlike anything she knew, he watched her, how her eyes wandered curiously through the forest.

"Robb, it's… it's everything I ever imagined it to be" She said, her voice sounding far away to her own ears. He smiled at her, taking her hand again and walking her forwards to sit on a small tree trunk where she knew Ned would often sit to clean his sword, but could still fit the two easily. Staring down at the lake, she smiled, leaning her head on Robb's shoulder to his surprise, the two quietly watching the sun fade behind the thick trees.

…

Robb

The next weeks, he spent his life normally at Winterfell with the addition of entertaining the royal guests and being entertained by a certain black haired beauty. She had grown rather fond of his three youngest siblings, and he had noticed the change in Jon as well not only by her presence, but by her handmaiden's shared looks as well. When Robb was not busy practicing swordplay or fulfilling his lordly duties alongside his father, he was with her, and the more time he spent near the girl, the less he wanted to let her go. He could only hope she would not oppose to the wedding as king Robert had expected her to, and that his mother could learn to get along with the girl who she had often called 'improper for marriage with her son'.

True, Catelyn Stark was a proper lady, albeit still a fighter and stronger than any other woman he had met before, and despite Marina's sometimes crude nature, he could tell there was no evil or vulgarity in her heart, and that once his mother understood that her differences to them were merely superficial, she could learn to accept the wedding.

Still, there was something else stopping him from fully courting her. He had felt like he was, and she had seemed interested although they had not yet formally expressed their courtship, but he had restrained himself to flirty touches here and there and hugs alone, which although were not common for him, were for her.

He looked back at her, sitting in a bench at the courtyard as him and Theon practiced. The Kingslayer at her side, standing guard to the spoiled blond prince who had taken more after his mother than his father, seemingly in personality as well. The Lannister knight stole glances of her often, eyeing her as if she was his own and spending whenever he could intoxicating her mind with his filth. Robb felt a pang of jealousy every time she smiled at the knight, a smile he wished was only directed to him, but he could not claim her as his betrothed yet, not until the response from the prince of Dorne was given - and he seemed to be taking his sweet time - and the knight would only depart once the king got his answer and the wedding was consolidated.

…

Marina

Now, at the second week here in Winterfell, she had managed to sneak Jaime away from his duties and Cersei for only a few instances, as they rode off into secluded forests - Jaime of course, always wary of Northern territory - or stayed hidden within the castle itself, spending as much time as they could with one another. She still didn't know how she felt about him, but she knew there was something there, more than just physical attraction, and she could swear she sometimes felt a vibe coming from him too, but he hadn't made any moves. She didn't know what it was about the older man, and complained about it to Meera on multiple occasions. His arrogance and ignorance got in her nerves, but he could make her laugh and feel more at home with his dark humor, and she couldn't deny what she could only describe as 'Wanting to jump his bones every time he gives me that smile'.

Jaime was dangerous, he made her feel a little bit dangerous, and she loved it. Robb, on the other hand, was safe and a perfect gentleman. He had come to pick her up at her room almost every day before breakfast - which she had been having with the Royal family in the most excruciating silence she could have imagined, with Tyrion and Robert waking up late and rarely being present but still 'politely demanding' her presence every single time - and they had been spending most of their time together.

Robb made her feel special, he made her feel like she was the only one that mattered, nothing she had experienced before with past relationships, and she found herself hating it for all the wrong reasons. Of course she didn't want to lead him on, and she knew juggling two guys in any world was a recipe for disaster, that she would end up breaking at least one heart, but her mind shut it out completely. After all, none had made any moves and she wasn't there for love. It all felt like a cruel joke to find two guys she could definitely learn to love after a bullet went through her head, while her past boyfriends had either broke her heart by leaving or cheating.

"You're only here for a little while, Mari. Just for a little while. You're here to help the Starks live" She whispered to herself in the mirror as she finished doing her hair in boxer braids, getting ready to spend another boring day watching the boys train and hopefully being able to do some exercising as well in the courtyard. She felt Meera rest a hand on her shoulder and smile at her through the mirror, receiving a sad sigh in return. The girl had spent the last weeks also sneaking away with Jon, and Mari was incredibly happy about the prospects of him staying instead of going to the Wall. She knew he might not have gone in the book if he had found a reason to stay. Mari trusted her friend with her life, and they told each other almost everything.

"Do you think he's pulling away from her? Ser Jaime, I mean." Meera asked, the shorter girl turning in her chair to look back at her before walking to her wardrobe to change her clothes.

"I hope so. I never know with him. What's most annoying is that I feel like he wants something but he won't make a damn move. My least favorite thing about this world is how everything is veiled, you know? With all the guys I used to date, they were always more forward. If they wanted something, they'd either go ahead and do it, or tell me. Even if it was cheating" She started "But no, not here. And if I'm the one that makes the first move, it gets out and I could lose my head, I'm sure Cersei would love it. They're both driving me insane".

At that, Meera laughed, helping the girl get dressed and answering simply with a "Not if your first move is with Robb. I'm sure Lord Stark would be happy about it, as all of the Stark children. They love you already" she said, earning a small smile from Marina.

"I don't know. There are things I want to prevent Jaime from doing and if he does care about me, he might flip out and do them anyways if I get with Robb. He's good, I know he is, but Cersei has such a negative influence on him. If I think about it, the worst thing he's ever done was because of her. And he still loves her, I'm sorry but I value myself too much to be with a guy that's into someone else. Can you button me up?"

Meera obliged, nodding in understanding and stepping away to look at the girl, smiling and breathing out an "I only wish I could be half as beautiful as you" she said, earning a giggle and a hug from her friend, who mumbled an "I love it when you hype me up, girl, but you're hot. Don't tear yourself down like this"

"I'm not, I-"

"I'm sure a certain Snow agrees with me" She said in a sing-song voice as she walked to the door, turning back to Meera and breathing out a "Why do you think you make him melt so easily?" Winking before walking away, closing the door and leaving the taller girl with a wide smile on her face.

…

Arya

She had just sneaked out of her sewing lessons to watch her brothers and Theon train in the courtyard. She could spot the kingslayer watching them all, his posture tense while the stupid prince had a stupid sneer on looking at the boys sword fighting. She hated him. He was snobbish and rude to her brothers and looked down on anyone that wasn't a Lannister or a Baratheon. Arya then let her eyes wander off to Marina's laughing figure, and smiled widely before running past the knight and the prince to join the girl sitting on a small bench. She was almost the same height as the princess, and kept bragging about it much to Marina's dismay, but they had become close friends in the past week that the visitors had been here. As soon as she rushed to her side, she earned a look and an laugh, which only got louder at the sight of the running Septa who rushed out of the room calling for Arya before recomposing herself and walking towards the princess, always bowing despite her title's honorary nature. Arya clutched to Mari's leg, Robb and Theon stopping the fight to watch the scene.

"My princess, I'm sorry she's bothering you. We will return to our lessons at once" She urged annoyedly, taking Arya by the arm before being stopped by Marina.

"She's not bothering me at all, in fact, she's keeping me company. It gets tiresome to watch the men fight on my own, sometimes I need a friend. She will stay with me for the moment and catch up on her lessons soon, if that's alright" She said, the authority in her voice making the Septa agree and give Arya a small glare before walking away.

The young girl turned to the princess, mumbling a small "Thank you for saving me, but I won't catch up. I'm horrible with needlework"

"Oh so am I, don't worry. The only needle you need to concern yourself with is- well, never mind. You can continue, My turn to beat you losers is coming soon, now go" She yelled to the two, who resumed their training, Mari wrapping her arm around Arya and pulling her closer, whispering a "I bet you Theon will lose", earning a nod in agreement.

Arya had been aware of Marina watching them train and trying to join in for a while, only being rejected by Ser Rodrik saying a woman's place is not in battle.

…

Jaime

He kept on ignoring his son's rude comments about the fight. He knew Joffrey was not as experienced as the two Northerners, and it hit him with a pang of shame that his own son was a shit at combat, but what hit him harder was the looks exchanged by Marina and the Stark boy. He had been constantly pestering her ever since they had arrived, and it irked him to the core how she did not seem to mind one bit. As soon as The Stark boy won, Marina stood up to hug him and made Jaime's gut twist into a knot. Jealousy, a feeling he had gotten used to with years of loving his married sister, seemed even stronger when the girl he cared about seemed to actually have feelings for someone else, especially a Stark. At the moment he snapped out of his thoughts, he noticed she was standing in the Greyjoy's place, arguing with Rodrik Cassel about her training, and walking away from the prince, he decided to help.

"Ser" He greeted as he got closer to the two, resting his hand on Mari's lower back and earning her attention. Ser Rodrik greeted him with a nod, which he took as an invitation to make his point. "It is important for a woman, specially a princess, to know how to defend herself against attackers. It's a dangerous world we live in"

"Yes, and it's not like I don't know anything or that I'll get in the way of them. They can train just as hard on me as they do with each other" He said, Jaime turning to her with an incredulous look.

"No, they cannot. You're still a woman"

"Lannister I could take you down in seconds, what's in my pants doesn't matter when it comes to fighting"

"You're also the size of a child" he said, earning a cold grin from her.

"I could punch you in the balls without any effort, I wouldn't even have to crouch down, you would be down immediately. Are you sure you want to talk about my height?" She fronted, making him raise his arms in surrender and let out a small laugh before looking at Robb Stark.

"Be careful with this one" he deadpanned, making her scoff and mumble a small "Bitch" under her breath, earning another laugh before he let go of her, the stark boy looking somewhere between annoyed and impressed before the two turned to each other, her urging him to come closer as the knight moved out of the way.

Robb laughed at her, the two having gotten to know each other quite well in the past fortnight, and he knew the boy didn't doubt her, so he stupidly came closer. She was about to strike when he held her wrist, pulling her closer to his body and giving her a cocky smirk before getting hit in the gut by her free fist, letting out a pained grunt at the unexpected force while Jaime smiled proudly. She looked back at the Stark girl, Arya, who seemed utterly pleased about her brother getting hit by a girl, and uttered a "See? It's always good to strike when your enemy least expects it", kissing Robb on the cheek and laughing out an apology.

They had backed away again when they heard the sound of hooves and the gate opening, turning back to see what the commotion was about. Marina gasped in happiness and surprise once she saw the banners, running to the gate to greet him and forgetting all about the fight.

Jaime did not need to look twice, as the bright orange, yellow and red Sunspear flew high near the grey walls of the northern castle, the banner of House Martell. This would certainly not end well for Robert.

* * *

 **Next chapter coming soooon, I'm sorry for the long wait guys. Cursinho is hard, for those of you that know what it is :P**


	10. Unbroken

**Ok so, just a quick disclaimer.**

 **I feel like house Martell in the show is SO underexplored, and although I want to focus mainly on Mari as the main character, I think some backstory is important to get to know and love Dorne through this story the same way I got to know and love it though the books.**

 **Of course I recommend you read the books because nothing I ever write about them will be as good as them but well I do my best.**

 **Also, I want to thank everyone that reviewed! I'm so excited that I got like 4 reviews on the last chapter within two days of publishing it! It means a lot, I'm glad you guys are enjoying my story and have had no problems with the writing so far. English isn't my first language so sometimes I slip up.**

 **But anyways, back to the story I'm sorry this was so long :P.**

 **I own nothing but my ideas and characters.**

…

Robb

The Red Viper, like most other people, was about a head taller than Marina, but in all other aspects they were so similar that he would be surprised if anyone else had chosen to take her in as the Martells did, as an extended family. The first thing she did once she realized it was him that had arrived, had been to run to him, barely waiting for him to dismount before pulling Oberyn into a tight hug. He had been skinnier than Robb expected, although still broad but he supposed snakes were slimmer after all, were they not? Arya had expressed being intrigued by his style of fighting, and how even in Winterfell he was clad in his banner's colors, his little sister standing next to him and looking at the Dornishmen in awe.

He knew pride to be a common thing among the Martells so far, but he could also not wait to hear the stories that the Red Viper had to tell, from his time on the citadel to his famous poisoned weapons in combat - although Robb would not express his curiosity in such a childish way as Arya might.

He knew that Oberyn had indeed warned his father before coming, not really waiting for an answer apparently, since the letter had arrived about a week ago, and telling anyone was out of the question. They had been preparing for more guests, and he was worried about the sustainability of Winterfell after all these expensive feasts and guests had gone back to their homes. On the last hunting trip they had made, the king had commanded a feast simply so their kills could be eaten while the meat was still its freshest, something so frivolous to throw a feast but that the people attending did not seem to mind.

It was not long before she had escorted him into the castle, asking one of the lower lords if he could place the Dornish soldiers that had come along somewhere comfortable.

The Dornish prince looked around in wonder at the castle, marvelling at its difference and not attempting to hide any of the passion for discovery in his eyes, the same one that Marina had, although hers was endlessly more endearing of course. Robb followed after, keeping out of their way and letting the two walk to the great hall where his father and King Robert were having a conversation, the two stopping immediately and the King seeming to get anxious at the sight of the visitor.

"Your Grace, Lord Stark" He greeted, his face now stoic as the people previously in the courtyard, including half a dozen Dornishmen, filled in the hall. "May I have a word?"

"Prince Oberyn. I wasn't aware that you were coming so soon. I only received your letter a week ago" his father answered politely, Robb looking at Marina and coming to her side as she furrowed her brows, looking back at him as she felt his hand on hers and whispering a small "Did you know about this? Why is he here? He wouldn't tell me yet, he said we should discuss it together with your father"

"Mari, I…" He trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence. Luckily for him - or maybe not - he was cut off before he could, and her attention was pulled back to Oberyn.

"Yes. I rode as soon as I got your correspondence. I must say, that is not how we do it in Dorne. If there will be a wedding of my house, I expect to be present for it".

"A wedding? Ooh that's exciting. Who's getting married?" Marina asked in excitement, everyone's eyes now seeming to turn to her.

At that, Oberyn frowned "What do you mean? Your wedding" At that she laughed, before realizing everyone around her was serious, her face falling as she turned to him.

"What" she clipped, looking angrily at Oberyn and letting go of his hand. "What the fuck do you mean, 'my wedding'?"

Oberyn was silent for a moment before looking back at the two men, his eyes narrowed. "You did not tell her, I see. So clearly you did not agree to this without consulting me, now did you Mari?"

"Why would I? I don't even know what's the fuck is going on" Her vulgar language came out when she was angry, apparently, and Robb almost winced, knowing she would come to hate him as he spoke up.

"Our wedding", looking ahead at the king and his father, avoiding the look of betrayal he knew was crossing Marina's face, he looked back to her as he saw movement, her hand raising in the air before she bit her lip, her eyes brimming with tears before she stormed out of the room. All that could be heard was King Robert's commands before she slammed to door on her wake, leaving the whole room speechless. A look was shared between Robb and his father then, the older man sighing and resting his head on his hands while Oberyn bowed sarcastically before going off to find her.

…

 _Marina_

 _How dare they_ she thought to herself as she paced outside, Oberyn looking at her as he attempted to process the news. People that thought he was very impulsive and stubborn had apparently not met her.

"Who the fuck do they think they are? Trying to decide my life like this. What if I don't want to get married? Much less in this world of all places. I have a family, I have you guys, I won't be some fucking trophy wife to the future Lord of Winterfell to be cooped up as far away from you as possible. _Me cago en el Rey, cabrón de mierda, pensando que puedes venderme como una puta, coño me cago en todo lo que se menea!"_ When she finally finished going off, Oberyn seemed almost amused, earning an angry "What?" from her, who was now out of breath from her screaming and glaring at him.

"I must say, Robb Stark is not some fat old man. It could be a worse pair"

"That's why he's been so nice to me? He knew we were going to be stuck together by order of the king" She asked, more to herself in almost a whisper, his eyes softening as he looked at her and got closer.

"Marina, you don't have to marry him, but think that you are not back in your country anymore. This is the way Westerosi work. The house Martell has been making alliances by marriage ever since its beginning. Dorne started with the marriage of a Martell and the warrior queen Nymeria, we joined the seven kingdoms through a marriage with the Targaryens, it's in our history. You are a Martell now. Perhaps it wouldn't be as bad" Oberyn seemed calmer than usual, and she realized then how much she had really missed his advice and carefree nature. She was quick to hug him, sighing against his chest and mumbling a small "Shut up, I'm not going to cry" before he said anything, earning a chuckle from the older man.

The truth was, she missed her home more than she could ever express. Her dad, her little sister and even her mother although they weren't in the best of terms, and Oberyn was the only person in this world that could make her feel like she had some of that, he was her new home in this world, and she was neither ready or willing to let that go.

…

 _Robb_

The fact that he had been the one to tell her after all this time of keeping it from her seemed to make things worse, as for the rest of the day she refused to see him. He expected her to be angry, yet he was no coward, and knew that telling her himself was the only way. Still, to see that she did not want the marriage hurt him more than he thought it could. Of course, she was mad at him, and not the Lannisters, her maid or his youngest siblings, so they were allowed into her room easily as well as Oberyn, who had expressed a keen interest on him. It made sense that he wanted to meet his future son in law. Or brother in law. He found it hard to attribute family relations to the two when they were not bound by blood, and so he was neither her father figure or an adoptive sibling to her, although she was significantly closer to him than Doran Martell.

He had just come to bring her supper, the third time he had visited her room today. He hoped once again that he would be let in - to no avail - watching Jaime Lannister strut past him arrogantly before turning back on his feet to knock, announce it was him after a hoarse "Go away Robb" and being let in, smirking back at the Stark and taking the dinner platter from his hands, slamming the door back in his face. Robb could almost break the stupid door down right now, but after a long breath, he decided something would be better, and so he walked to the west tower - a tower fit for a prince of Dorne.

…

 _Jaime_

"He was waiting at your door like a lost puppy" He chuckled as he brought the food in, his smug look dropping as he saw the look on her face. She had been crying, he could tell, and she was not one to do it easily. He set her food down before walking to her. For a moment he just looked at her, trying to find the right words to say and coming up with nothing. Women crying always had made him uneasy, and it was no exception with her. When he finally spoke up, his voice was much gentler. "You've been crying".

At that she let out a small laugh, although it did not reach her eyes "Yeah no shit"

"Is it because you don't want to marry him?"

"I- no. Yes. No I don't…" she stopped and sighed, running a hand through her hair, that fell loosely in waves and almost covered her face. He reached closer to pull her to him, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear and cupping her face so that she would look up at him. "It's because he hid it from me. Everyone hid it from me. If there's one thing that really fucks me up is people lying to me 'for my own good'. If I'd known from the start, I would've avoided him at all costs". At that he chuckled, looking at her in confusion.

"And here I was thinking that you cared for him"

"That's the problem, I do"

There was a brief moment of silence between the two before Jaime spoke again, his tone now not as gentle as before. "If you're in love with the boy, why would you not be ecstatic about marrying him?"

"Woah no one said anything about love" Her voice also stronger. "I don't want to be here in this fucking cold. I lost my family once, it's how I came here. At first I couldn't remember why on earth could I be here, and according to Oberyn he bought me from magister Ilyrio, in Pentos, when I appeared in front of Viserys Targaryen and he wasn't pleased about having another 'brown wench' traveling with them, apparently there was enough in the savage Dothraki tribes already" She started bitterly, her voice changing so suddenly that anyone that didn't know her would be surprised as to how quick her emotions could fluctuate. "Once I remembered, it was all I could see. I cried for weeks about it until I couldn't feel it anymore. My dad was shot, I saw him get shot. I think it was a burglar but all my stuff was with me once I got to this world, even my dad's gun. I- I- saw him die, and when I tried to stop the man he killed me too"

She was now holding in sobs. He could not imagine the pain she was in, specially by not being able to say goodbye, her life being taken away when she was so young. Jaime's mind whirred around with the newfound information, but he chose not to focus on any of it, seeing as she needed him to be there and listen, and not question her. He knew the ones that ended up here were those that had perished in another life, and for a moment he wondered if those who he had killed had ended up in a different world as well, but quickly shooed the thought away and held her closer, her body now raking with small sobs as she held on tightly to his jacket, the leather almost repelling her tears. "I lost my family once, and then I came here and found another. I'm not letting them go" And then he understood. She belonged in Dorne, and no green boy, even if she cared for him, would drive her away from it.

He had been with her until she fell asleep, doing his best to comfort her as she cried and carrying her to lie down properly on the bed, covering her with the furs before he left, going to the one person he knew might be able to fix this.

Once he was let into Prince Oberyn's room after a long discussion with the thick-headed Dornish guard who kept calling him a Kingslayer, as most would, he was not surprised to see the Stark boy already there, glaring at him with a hatred to match the Prince's own.

"A Lannister with a Stark and a Martell in the same room. It sounds like a good joke. What do you want, Kingslayer" The Red Viper spoke up, while Jaime threaded carefully, staying on his feet while the other two sat down.

"I understand there is some commotion surrounding the joining of your two houses. I came to tell you that she doesn't want to"

"And how would you know what she wants, _Kingslayer_ "

The nickname always had the ability to wipe a smile from his face, no matter how many times he heard it, but he quickly recomposed himself. "Well, given by her crying in my arms for the past hour, I would say she is quite unhappy about the prospects" He said, the Stark boy immediately standing up to fight him and making him laugh. Pathetic.

"Why would she cry to you, Lannister?" Oberyn seemed like he was trying to feign his true feelings, adopting an almost bored tone.

"She wants to stay in Dorne with you"

"And that upsets you" He stated, now standing up in interest, a small smirk on his face. "She stays away for two moons and already had two men fighting for her attention. I must say I'm proud. A Stark and a Lannister, at that" He chuckled, motioning for Robb to sit back down, who begrudgingly obeyed. "If she does not wish the marry, she won't marry. Simple as that"

The three were interrupted by a soft knock on the Door, and Jaime, being the one standing, went ahead and opened it only for his eyes to fall back on hers, watching them widen slightly as her voice came out soft and quiet. "Jaime? What are you doing here?" At the sound the two other men stood, Robb taking a step forward before Oberyn stopped him.

"If she does not wish to see you at the moment, respect it", The boy nodding and staying on his feet while Jaime stepped in front of her to block her path.

"I came to tell him you do not wanted a marriage"

"Yeah, but he knows" Her eyebrows furrowed, he looked so innocent and upset, sometimes he forgot how young and small she really was. He stepped closer, taking one of her hands and she looked up at him, breathing out a small "thank you anyways", her eyes glued to his before flickering down to his lips, and if the two other men were not here, he wouldn't have backed away slightly when she leaned closer to him. Instead, he wrapped a hand around her waist as he stepped to the side, Oberyn now walking to her and ushering the other two out. Robb Stark searched for her eyes, yet could not meet them as she now looked at Oberyn, the same sad look still on her face.

 **Oh god this chapter was a little whirlwind. I realized I'm almost in chapter 10 and still haven't moved on from the first episode in the show but that'll change soon, there's just so much I wanted to do while everyone was together, since the rest of the storyline everyone will be in a different corner of the world and she'll eventually have to split away from the rest of the group but anyways, next chapter is a special hunting party, and Mari will finally get to change some of the course of the story and do what she believes her mission to be.**


	11. Decisions, Decisions

**I spent yesterday and today writing and I LOVE IT SO MUCH, I hoped every day could be like this. Thank you guys so much for all your support and for all the new people reading this fic, I hope you're enjoying it so far. (ok this was written on the day I published the last chapter, the day I started writing this one - like 2 weeks ago but my point still stands).**

 **I am SO thrilled that you guys are liking the story and that there are no problems with my English or my Spanish seeing that neither is my first language (I'm Brazilian, so my mother tongue is Portuguese and I do plan on writing a Brazilian character in this story but I'm struggling with making it an accurate representation since like less than 3% of BR people speak English fluently and I don't want to make her the elite since it's controversial bleeeh idk)**

 **Anyways (idk if anyone even reads these lol)**

 **I own nothing but my ideas.**

…

 _Marina_

The next day, she was still upset, although she chose to focus it into anger. She wasn't upset about the prospects of marrying Robb. The nerve he had to assume she would just blindly marry him, the nerve the king and even Lord Stark had… she knew it was a lady's - much more a princess' duties to get married and make their husbands happy with sex and making them sandwiches and whatever. Her abuela had raised her to know how to cook so that she could snag a husband, her tías always asked her where her boyfriends were at at every single family event. It was at times like these, in which she felt completely lost, that she would turn to prayer.

She still said her rosary every night, clinging to the one familiar piece of religion she had: a silver cross and chain with white and blue beads that had been passed on from her abuela to her, and she had explained to be one of the only possessions she still had from her home back in Cuba before she had had to leave everything behind for her own safety when she had come to America.

However, as she looked at the small rosary in her hand, the cross gleaming in the candlelight that morning, she knew that it wouldn't help her make a decision, as much as she did believe that god could hear her even as far away as a different dimension. Oberyn had told her to be strong, and strong she should be. If she wanted things to change, she'd have to stop being upset and actually act on it. She put on pants that day, knee high boots and a white bodice that hugged her torso and laughed briefly as she thought back to Khloe Kardashian's 'revenge body' concept, looking in the mirror as she fixed her hair, letting it loose before walking out of the bedroom in the direction of Lord Stark's study.

She could hear them as soon as she walked in and had to hold herself back from cursing them all out. As she was announced and came in, they all turned to her, the king sitting up straighter. "I see you're making it a habit to talk about me behind my back. Lord Stark, I hope this doesn't offend you, I really don't mean it to, but I'd like to cancel the wedding" She said, noticing Robb was now looking at her.

"Cancel it? I am your king, girl. If I command a wedding-"

"No. It's my choice" she interrupted firmly, the king's face getting reader by the second. She was a woman standing up to the king, of course he'd get all pissed off "Lord Stark, I don't expect you to understand, but I've lost my family once, I am not from this world and I do believe I have a greater mission here than to form alliances between great houses. Robb is your heir, I would never ask him to leave Winterfell to be with me but I belong in Dorne" Her voice was softer now. She didn't want to have to do this, She had great admiration for Ned Stark and the last thing she wanted was for that judgy look in his eyes to appear. "Family's important to me, and I just found a new one. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from. And I'm sorry for storming off yesterday, I.. I just can't marry Robb"

"I'm right here" he sighed in exasperation.

"I know, and I'm still mad at you"

"I understand. Our house would not force you into a marriage alliance, although I believe it would be better discussed with prince Doran." Lord Stark said sympathetically, looking towards his son and mouthing something she could not understand as she gave a low curtsy, the king opting to discuss it alone with Ned as she left the room, hearing Robb walk out after her and closing her eyes to try to keep herself from doing anything stupid. She was trying her best to be angry at him, but the way he kept looking at her wasn't helping.

"I could never force you to marry me you know" he said as he caught up to her. They were now turned to each other, Robb inching closer to her, expecting her to pull away. They had turned to an empty hall, one of the few unoccupied spaces in the castle as she seemed to get lost again, although he knew she was going in no particular direction, just trying to get away from him.

"I know"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you"

"Good, you should be" She said, earning an amused smile from him before she continued with a heavy sigh. "Robb, I'm sorry, it's not about you, at all. You'll make someone very happy someday and god I regret even starting to think I could ever meet someone and be happy in this world when I don't belong here, I wasn't even meant to be here, I just-"

She hadn't realized how close he was until he cupped her face and pulled her into a deep kiss. She let out a small gasp in surprise, melting into the feeling of his soft lips against hers and tangling a hand in his hair, kissing him back passionately. At that moment, all her worries seemed to melt away, as her every cell craved to be closer to him. As he ran his tongue over her bottom lip, she opened her mouth to grant him entrance, their tongues playing with each other as he let go of her cheek to wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her closer and leaning down further, kissing her harder. He pushed her up against the stone wall and she had to hold back a moan as he pressed his body against hers, tugging on his hair and urging a groan from his lips. That same groan had made her stop and break the kiss, breathing heavily and biting her lip at the dark look in his eyes as he smirked at her in satisfaction.

Good god, what was he doing to her?

"I've been wanting to do that since I first laid my eyes on you" he said, tucking a strand of her behind her ear and eliciting a shaky breath from her.

"I could kill you right now, you're only making this harder on me than it has to be"

"Good. Maybe that'll make you stay. You said it yourself, you made a new family out of the Martells. What's to stop you from making one out of us?"

' _I'm trying to save you from getting murdered, your father from getting beheaded, Bran from becoming a cripple, your mother from getting her neck slit open and Jaime from losing a hand, Jon from going to the wall and dying, the king from being poisoned and letting his little blonde shit son rule, therefore torturing Sansa and sending Arya to almost be tortured in Harrenhal and just so much more shit from going down, ok? I have to keep my mind in the right place instead of having dirty thoughts about your blue eyed, plump lips lookin ass'_ she thought, knowing she could not voice it aloud. Instead she just leaned up to peck him, the height difference making her stand on the tips of her toes, before she said "I wish it was that easy", walking downstairs for breakfast.

…

 _Robb_

It was as if her lips still lingered on his the next day, and although he knew she had been avoiding him for another day, it did not upset him. She wanted him, he could tell, just as much as he wanted her, and to think of the way her body responded to his made his past two days a thousand times better. He was certainly glad she had stopped when she did, or else he would've gone much further and probably do something the two of them could not take back.

He was now preparing for the hunt with the king, and stopped his horse as he saw her walking on the courtyard, sitting beside a hungover Tyrion Lannister and the Hound, the picture of him being twice her size making him laugh a little before he turned away with the king's command.

"Come on boys, let's go kill some boar"

He turned back for one last look at her, catching her eyes on him before hers quickly diverted and smirking to himself, urging his horse to catch up with the rest of them.

 _..._

 _Tyrion_

"You look like shit" were the first words he heard from her, only answering with a groan and hearing her giggle. "I can make you some asopao de pollo, it's a hangover cure where I'm from. In fact, why don't we take today off to spend some time with each other? I miss you" She said, pouting and making him smile.

"As long as you don't poison me, it's alright. How have you been? I hear you're being reluctant about your future husband" He said casually, looking up from his spot to catch her looking down and biting her lip. "Oh?"

"Oh? Oh what?"

"That look you have on your face. Something happened between you, did it not?"

"Tyrion! I am a princess, how dare you insinuate anything?" She said sarcastically, earning a scoff from the hound, the pair now turning their attention to the larger man.

"You may be a princess, but you're not a lady. Everyone knows that much" he continued, earning a wide smile from the girl before she shrugged.

"And you may be a 'dog' in title but you're still a knight to me" she answered, earning a surprised look from him, who seemed to genuinely like her words, holding back an argument.

"I'll never understand your relationship" Tyrion interjected.

"What? He's a cool guy, not even half the monster people make him out to be. In my opinion, your society treats people too harshly. Look at Jaime for example, people say he's a man without honor because he killed a king who burnt people alive. For me, anyone that wouldn't have done the same, who would've just let him keep killing is the one that doesn't have honor"

Tyrion smiled at her words, giving her a brief nod. He wished the world was as simple as she put it, that people could see his brother's true intentions by what he had done 17 years ago. She was so mature, held so much knowledge about what had yet to come in all their lives and yet made the world seem so uncomplicated from her eyes, when she was probably the one that understood being in it the least. He supposed practical knowledge and theoretical knowledge were completely different in this case. At the mention of his brother, he remembered to ask. "Has my brother gone off for the hunt?"

He watched her stop in her tracks, her face paling as she shook her head mumbled something quickly about having to go before she ran off quickly, away from the castle and in the direction of the broken tower.

…

 _Mari_

She ran as fast as her feet could take her, watching Jaime walk in the direction of the broken tower and sighing in relief. He wasn't there yet. She knew changing the course of the story was dangerous, and didn't even know if it would work or not, but if she could save Bran and prevent a war from happening, she was more than willing to risk it.

"Stop! Please Jaime, stop" she yelled, earning his attention as he turned around to watch her run towards him, furrowing his eyebrows and holding onto her shoulders as she stopped, panting heavily and mumbling a small "Fuck, I need to work out more, I'm losing my edge", earning a small laugh from him.

"What's wrong, princess? Did you miss me that much?" He smirked, earning a roll of her eyes.

Yes, she had. "No. But that's not my point, you can't go"

"Go?" he asked, earning a pointed look from her. She watched his posture change and his jaw tense up. Of course she knew about Cercei, and of course she knew what he was about to do.

"Please don't do it. You're better than this" she said.

"And who is to say it's bad in the first place?"

"Are you kidding me? Isn't it obvious?" she said, her breathing now back to normal as she got closer to him. "Why?" she asked, and he could see there was some hurt in her eyes, although she had tried her best to mask it. She had never been very good at keeping her emotions under wraps.

"I…" he started, sighing and running a hand through his hair. "I don't know. She asked me to come"

"Do you still love her?" she asked quietly, careful for anyone around them not to hear, even if there was no one at the broken tower but Cercei, who was waiting upstairs.

He hesitated a long minute, what felt like too long for her, before he answered honestly with a "Part of me always will have feelings for her. She is my twin, my other half, but.. No. I don't love her anymore" he said, sighing and earning a relieved sigh from her.

"Good"

"Good?"

"Yes, good. Thank you for being honest with me" She said, smiling up at him. "If you'll excuse me, there's one more thing I need to take care of" She said, walking in the direction of the broken tower.

It didn't take long for him to follow, as she heard his footsteps behind her, and as soon as she spotted Bran, she was yelling out his name. The little boy looked down to see her, hearing his direwolf whimper. "Bran, please come down, it's important"

"Why?" The little boy asked, looking down worriedly at her tone. Even the little boy could tell how nervous she was about it.

"Bran please, please come down" she said, sighing in relief as the little boy started climbing down. She had started getting calmer until she saw something fall to the ground, eliciting a blood curdling scream from her, Jaime's breath being knocked out of him.

 **Good fucking god, this took me so long guys I'm so sorry.**

 **All authors have that time when they get a little stuck, and the past two weeks I had two birthday parties in the family (including my own, your bitch is 19 now, woop) and didn't have a lot of time to write during the week buuut it's here, it's full of drama and I'm not completely happy with how it turned out but there are better ones coming and I gotta progress the story and let it flow. Chapter 11 is on the works (this one will appear as 11 bc they count the prologue but it's 10 for me, ok? ok).**

 **Ned Stark is a tough-ass character to write.**


	12. The Springs

**Oof. That's all I gotta say.**

 **Oh and that I don't own anything but my own ideas and characters. I'm trying to make my author's notes shorter but I don't want to be one of those detached writers that don't connect with their readers, that's really not me.**

 **Anyways, onto that cliffhanger I ended on hehe I'm sorry. Yuyuxx, this one is for you ;).**

 **Idk if I should put a smut warning when it's not technically smut but there are some hot scenes (pun very much intended) in this chapter, you have been warned.**

* * *

Jaime

"Oh my god, Bran" she said, running past the body and getting him from the tower as soon as he had climbed down close enough for her to reach. She hugged him tight, a long hug, and although the boy was confused, he let her. He looked from the two to the body on the floor. He didn't know where she had come from, but her clothes were covered in blood and had a few holes in them, the hot pink blouse having a pattern he was unable to decipher with all the rips. He had just kneeled to observe her when Marina pulled away from Bran Stark and sat on the girl's other side. She had relatively short raven hair, reaching her shoulders, and skin a shade darker than the princess' deep olive one, but he could tell instantly that they had come to this world by the same way.

"Is she…"

"Yes. She's one of you"

"Oh my god. Those are so many bullet holes". The girl seemed heartbroken at the sight, running her hand over the torn clothing before looking back at Jaime. "Help me carry her to Maester Luwin, I'll take care of her with him when she wakes up, she'll be confused and in pain".

Jaime obliged dutifully, taking the girl in his arms and carrying her while Marina stayed behind for a few seconds to talk to the boy, the two joining him in somber silence quickly, despite his longer strides.

Looking at her now, she looked older than Marina, barely taller and was wearing clothes that barely fit her, seeing as she was heavier than the princess; what seemed to be pants cropped to her thighs and the shirt's sleeves ending at her shoulders. She must've been from a hot climate, and he was surprised she was not shivering at the cold that surrounded her.

…

Robb

Once the hunting party had arrived, he had been notified of the news, as well as his parents and the king. Marina had found Bran climbing the broken tower and believed it to be dangerous, and so she stopped him and managed to get him to the ground without a scratch. However, the unlikely visitor wasn't that lucky. Some of the servants were calling the girl a fallen angel, a girl that had apparently dropped from the sky out of nowhere, and although he wanted nothing more than to investigate, his father had suppressed his curiosity, explaining that him and the king should assess the situation for any possible dangers before letting the girl loose, and so he waited outside along with his siblings, all equally curious about the newcomer.

"She just fell from the sky!" Bran said, sounding excited despite the reprimanding tone his mother had used with him just a few minutes ago. "And she was covered in blood, I wonder if she will be alright" His siblings listened attentively, Arya looking so intrigued her eyes could've fallen off of its sockets, while little Rickon hid behind Sansa, who looked mortified at the thought.

"And you saw her? Covered in blood?"

"How could I not have, she fell right in front of me. I think Marina knew something was going to happen, she sounded so worried as if I was the one meant to fall"

"What if you had been?" Jon asked gravelly, looking at his little brother in all seriousness.

"I never fall" He defended, annoyance in his tone.

Robb was oddly quiet, lost in thought about what it would mean for one of them to be on their side. Considering Tony first appeared in the Riverlands and brought to the Tully's, his mother's house, and that he was betrothed to Marina, he would say that there were more foreigners on house Stark's side than anyone else's even though none of them had come directly in Winterfell, and now that one had, he worried about the new girl's loyalty.

He had barely noticed time pass before he stood, almost as if by instinct, in front of the Maester's quarters, where he knew the two were now alone. He heard laughter from outside of the door and smiled at the sound before knocking at the door, hearing a chair shuffle before the door opened to reveal his betrothed, looking breathtaking as always. Her breath hitched at the sight of him, and he had to fight back a small smirk as she said his name in acknowledgement before stepping aside to let him in. The girl had been straining her neck on the bed, but jumped back immediately as he came into the room, earning a laugh from the two of them as she now eyed Robb shamelessly.

"You're a fucking freak, I love you" Marina spoke up, giggling and earning the girl's attention as well as a hair flip, Marina laughing loudly. "Robb, this is Natalia. Nati, this is Robb Stark."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my lady" he said, taking her hand in his and kissing it, as common courtesy required. The girl seemed surprised, but smiled at him nervously. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Marina shift, and smiled smugly to himself.

"The pleasure is all mine, trust me" she spoke up, grinning at him with pearly white teeth.

"Yeah yeah, lots of pleasure meeting each other, now excuse us so she can get dressed" Marina clipped.

He laughed. She was jealous, and he was near gloating. At that he took her hand, pulling her closer to him gently and kissing her forehead, mumbling an "I'll be right outside, I did come for a reason"

"What reason is that?" She asked, her posture now significantly more relaxed.

"To kiss you again" he said, cupping her face so she was looking up at him.

"Well… you have"

"Not where I want to kiss you" there was a small pause, her mouth opening and closing before she spoke again.

"I don't know if you meant that to sound dirty, but it did"

"It's not my fault your mind is filthy, my love" He said, earning a joking punch to his arm before she laughed. "Can I see you tonight?"

"But I was planning on going to my room and crying tonight" she whined jokingly, earning a laugh from him.

"Then I may just have to steal you away from your plans"

"Ooh, is that a threat or a promise?"

"Why not both?"

"I hate how hard it is to be mad at you with that smile." She sighed, running a hand through her loose hair and looking back up at him to catch a wider smile on his face. "I'm still not marrying you though"

"I have a few days to convince you still" he said, leaving the two girls alone after giving her a kiss on the corner of her lips. He was itching to just ignore everything and whisk her away, but he knew he had to play by her rules if he wanted her to follow through with the wedding, and if stopping himself was what it took, he would have to do it.

The last thing he heard before he left the room was the new girl speaking up, her accent much thicker and different to Marina's. "I ship it"

…

Meera

The girl turned out to be really funny, Marina had said. Her accent was really thick, and she had said to come from Brazil, although of course Meera didn't know where that was. She did not trust the girl, and specially didn't like the way the two of them had spent all afternoon together. Marina had even cooked for her. Her and Tyrion. She had been in the kitchens earlier making chicken broth, and Meera was the first to compliment her on how good the food was, raising a proud smile from her junior.

 _"I heard you were in the kitchens. What are you doing?" She heard an amused voice, turning back to see prince Oberyn and Tyrion Lannister walking together, a sight she never thought she would see._

 _"I'm writing a play, can't you see?" Marina joked, mincing the rest of the cilantro before sprinkling it on top of the ready bowl, the steam coming out it just as delicious as the smell. Although Marina had explained it to be a common recipe, some of the ingredients had been so hard for the two girls to procure that they were only able to conclude the soup at night._

 _The two men laughed, and as Meera leaned onto the counter, the princess turned back to see Tyrion, smiling down at him and taking the bowl over to him, commanding him to sit and hearing him mumble out a "So small, yet so loud" as he obeyed, reaching for the bowl and looking inside, seeming slightly surprised as the smell hit his nostrils. "It's chicken broth"._

 _"Essentially, yes. But better. Go on, try it, it'll help. And next time you drink, try alternating. For each glass of wine, have one of water. Hangovers are nothing but a fucked up dehydration, so if you drink water you don't get too drunk and don't die the next day"_

 _"That's so much work" He said, sighing in content as he tasted the soup. "Gods, woman. You should make this more often for me"_

 _"It's so much work when the ingredients are so hard to find here, it took me like half a day" she said, filling up another bowl and offering it to Oberyn before filling up a third and looking back to Meera, who had already been eating and enjoying the creation, excusing herself and explaining that another person had arrived from their country and that she was needed somewhere else, taking the broth upstairs._

Meera shook her head as if to snap out of her thoughts, gathering her skirts and walking back to the maester's room, stumbling upon a grinning Robb Stark on her way, who gracefully apologized before she spoke up.

"My lord, have you seen her?"

"Aye, I just came back from the maester's quarters. Mari is dressing her"

"Why did she not call for me?" Her voice came out slightly more offended than she had intended it to, and Robb was taken aback. In the past few weeks, she had gotten to know him well through both Jon and Marina, seeing as although he was always kind to her, they rarely spoke as equals would. She knew her place, she was seen as a maid to the rest of the world. She knew him to be kind, strong and honorable, and could clearly tell that Marina had feelings for him, and yet it was as if both of them refused to act upon it. Her, because of the way she was raised, believing a man should always 'make the first move', as she put it and him, not to do anything improper that might cause her shame or anger her. She also much preferred him over Ser Jaime, if not for his family, then for Robb's own indiscretions with her.

It was common for older men to marry girls her age, yet she could see Marina being much happier and much safer with the Stark heir by her side, and Meera's priority was the good of the kingdom, as Lord Varys would often remind her. Their marriage might help the kingdom to peace. A marriage between Summer and Winter, the Sun and the Young Wolf, some maids would whisper around the castle.

"I believe she wanted me out of the room as soon as possible" He said, a small smile playing on his lips. "When you see her, please let her know I'll come by her room to escort her tonight"

"Why? Will you be eloping and getting married today?" She asked in confusion, cocking her head to the side and crossing her arms.

"No" He smiled. "We'll just go for an evening stroll".

"Take care of her" She warned, earning a serious nod from him.

"Of course"

Not long after they bid their goodbyes, she was before the maester's quarters, calling Marina to start getting ready for the night that was to fall. A few servants had come to take Natalia to her accommodations. Marina seemed excited once she heard of the encounter, and although she would not have admitted it, made an effort to look nicer than she usually would, changing into a simple emerald green dress and covering herself in furs before Meera took her leave to go into her own chambers.

…

Marina

She had been anxiously waiting for Robb to appear, like an idiot. Should she be going out with him in the night when she knew it was improper of her to do so, especially in the more conservative north? No. Did she care right now? Also no. Her mind had been so conflicted lately, and she had started to think that marrying Robb wouldn't be half as much of the drama she had made it into before. Of course she would always belong in Dorne, but her mind kept turning to 'what if's. What if Robb was never promised to a dull Frey, never married that stupid Westerling girl and ended up dead? If there was no possibility of a marriage alliance with Walder Frey in the first place, there would be no breaking of an alliance. She could save him.

Some of her reasons were less selfless. He made her feel so special and loved and she knew she could be happy with him, she knew she could trust him and that he wouldn't hurt her like she had been hurt before, and she could definitely get used to waking up beside him every day. She had been lying in bed alone with her thoughts when she heard a soft knock on the door and sprung up quickly. She opened the door as quietly as she could, making sure no one was around before pulling him into the room.

"Where are you taking me today, Stark?"

"If you want to stay in here, it's alright to me. You pulled me into your room so hard one would think my arm would fall out of its socket" he joked.

"No, I want to know where you're taking me, you said you had plans"

"Aye, I did. If I may?" He said, opening the door and offering a hand to her as the two walked out to the halls of Winterfell.

Robb knew his way around the castle, which still seemed like a maze to her, and before long they were led to a small basement, Robb having avoided any guard that may be on their way. The room was hidden behind a large tapestry, and the stairs that led to the basement were rustic and stone, the pattering of their feet and the howl of a few faraway wolves being the only sound they could hear.

"Um... Robb? Where are you taking me?"

He grinned at her tone. He had gotten so much more comfortable around her, and it was almost refreshing watching a happy and more carefree Robb, compared to the serious King in the North struck by tragedies and a war that she had come to know by the books. "Nowhere dangerous, I won't kill you". He joked.

"Yes, that's exactly what a killer would say" they laughed, trying to speak in hushed tones so they would not get caught in the night. They walked through a long hall in silence for what felt like too long, the temperature increasing drastically and making the two discard their furs along the way, Marina tying her hair up with a thick elastic she carried around her wrist. As he took his torch to light up the ones attached to the walls, illuminating everything in his path he heard a small gasp from her. A few candles were laid around the hot springs, and the heat emanating from the pools explained the warm fog that surrounded them. They had apparently avoided a few along the way, and he had explained that their canned water was what heated up Winterfell, although there were some pools that remained free of the thick, copper pipes closer to the sept. The ceiling of the caves was high enough for her to not feel trapped, and the clear water was inviting. Robb led her to a larger pool located near a corner, just under the candlelight. It was deep enough for them to swim in easily, although its width was still restricted to a few feet.

"This one is the largest, and it's also not too hot. I used to come here with my siblings once we discovered there were some swimmable hot springs in the castle, but once we grew older it became less appropriate"

"And you thought it'd be appropriate to bring me here instead?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"It wasn't my intention to be appropriate" He said, resting the torch that had been in his hand near the others on the wall and cornering her to it, his eyes almost predatory. The Young Wolf, she thought, and she could definitely see it reflected in his eyes, the way he stared at her hungrily despite himself, looking to her as if she was a prey and he a starving wind animal. She wasn't often nervous around flirting or anything, but somehow he managed to make her all flustered and act like a stupid little girl. His eyes flickered down to her lips, and in a bold move, she leaned in to kiss his, pulling him closer by gripping his shirt, making him take a step forward and corner her between the wall and his larger body. He responded, following the kiss' deep and slow pace as he pulled her flush against him, holding her by her waist. They broke the kiss soon, too soon for her liking, and he leaned his forehead against hers, smiling widely.

"We're not doing anything until we're married" she said strongly, although her voice came out almost a whisper.

"Is it 'until' now? Is that a yes, my princess?" He asked, his eyes now turning to hers.

"I'm considering it. But it's a ground rule"

"That's fair, I wasn't meaning to take away your virtue tonight" he said, leaving a few soft kisses on the corner of her lips, her cheek and her jaw before kissing wetly down her neck, ushering a small moan from her mouth. The bastard knew exactly what he was doing, she could feel him smile against her skin at the sound, kissing farther down until he found her sweet spot, making her shiver slightly and grip his shoulder. At her reaction, he bit down on the spot lightly, earning another moan, now louder from her and pulling her closer with a groan of his own. She didn't know if the unbearable heat was from the hot springs or his touch.

"It sure seems like you want to" she answered, gripping his hair and tugging on it, urging a grunt from his lips before he pulled away, his eyes darker as he looked down at her.

…

Robb

She was a sight to behold. Her loose hair fell in messy waves, her lips were swollen and red from his kisses and her cheeks were slightly flushed due to the heat. It wasn't common for her to blush, seeing as her skin tone would not allow her to turn red as the pale northern girls would, but he could see it faintly now. It was not long after that she had snapped back to herself, turning them over and pushing him against the walls of the cave, pulling him closer and kissing him hard for what felt like not nearly long enough. Her lips were intoxicating, and she smelled of jasmine and oranges, as she usually would, the sweetness of the scent driving him mad with lust.

She tugged his shirt up, balling it in her smaller fist and sliding it up his torso, silently asking him to remove it, when he stopped her, breaking the kiss. "We shouldn't…" he trailed off reluctantly, earning a laugh from her.

"That's rich, coming from you. You're the one that started this" she said taking a step back but still staying close. He missed her pressed against him already.

"Yes, but you shouldn't blame me for wanting you when you're this perfect"

"Hardly" she scoffed, an idea seeming to come up into her mind as she looked back at the hot spring before she was unlacing her dress, the only sound in the cave being the eventual drips of condensed water and their shallow breaths. "Come on, the water's amazing" She spoke up, walking backwards before turning to the pool as her green dress fell to the floor and he looked up, doing his best not to let his eyes divert into her smallclothes. At that moment, he mentally slapped himself. He had planned a romantic visit, for them to talk and spend some time together but ever since their last kiss, he couldn't help thinking that he wanted more, and so seeing her in the candlelight had made him forget all his manners. Some honor he had now, he chastised himself. Robb was no virgin, but he never wanted to be like Theon, consumed by his lust.

"We shouldn't" he pressed,

"Then why did you bring me here?" The question made him feel even more stupid, and he she laughed slightly, walking back to him and cupping his face, leaning up to kiss him gently, breathing out a small "It's ok, we have self control, at least you do. Just let go and relax for the night"

He nodded, and as she tugged his shirt up, he helped her take it off, regaining his confidence as she sighed. "Ay Dios mio, your muscles point to your dick" she said after raking her eyes hungrily down his torso, earning a loud laugh from him before he picked her up and jumped with her into the pool, the two emerging soon enough as she gasped, hitting his chest and giggling before they were enveloped in another kiss.

"You put too much faith in me to control myself" he whispered into the kiss, making her smile and groaning as she bit and dragged his bottom lip, sitting him down on one of the irregular, rocky walls of the pool and climbing onto his lap, pushing her now wet hair to one of her shoulders, leaving the other exposed before running her hands up his torso, her eyes trailing along as she could barely make up his shape beneath the water, before she looked up to his eyes.

"The honorable Robb Stark" she said, her accent making his name come out of her soft lips sounding like music, making the familiar chill climb up his legs and to his groin. She leaned down with a smirk, inching closer to him and whispering a "Look at you now", her face not even an inch away from his, before she was capturing his lips in hers in one of her soft kisses.

The mix of skin and fabric felt glorious beneath his fingers as she straddled his lap, his hands on her waist as she wore the most revealing chemise he could've ever pictured, the thin fabric now clinging to her body and serving absolutely no purpose but to hold him back from seeing her naked body fully and taking her then and there. Their moans mixed together as she grinded against his hard length. Through the night, their hands wandered over each other's body hungrily, almost as if one was pushing the other to the absolute edge to try and establish how long they could last without him inside her, but they had managed to both end the night satisfied, although needing more of each other each time.

* * *

 **I told ya, oof.**

 **Lol bye see you next chapter!**


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